I’ve been musing that this is the first year of my life (over 50 years) that I will not have stepped foot into Canada, or for that matter any other foreign country, but Canada is the only one I’ve been in each year since birth. The country is like a second home to me.
It’s a small thing, but I’ll admit I’m bummed to have lost the streak.
Who else has something they’re willing to share?
I thought we were transitioning to empty nest last year when S19 started college and D21 more independent than ever-with driving and extra curricular. Then, mid March-both kids are online and it has given us one last year to bond as a family. I both cherish it and look forward to them moving on with their lives and starting a new normal with H.
I have so much more time (retired with all the trips canceled) to pay attention to my skin. Using sunblock with a higher number (40 not 20) made a huge difference on my face. Who knew. And diligent use of hand moisturizer stopped my finger cracks for the first time ever. So, there’s that.
I had not expected to be more in touch with our far flung family. We have been getting together almost every weekend on Discord. Sometimes just to talk, sometimes to play games. We have much more natural conversations than we did on the phone.
The biggest change for me has probably been my feelings towards my church. I’ve been a member for 19 years, but we did get a new minister at the beginning of the pandemic. I am shocked that he started services inside, allows singing, refused to wear a mask at his “meet and greet” session, and continues on with most of church activities. I have also heard that it’s the most-vulnerable who are attending. It breaks my heart, yet angers me at the same time. We have quit donating, directing our money towards other churches/food banks.
Our D is entering her final year of college. She has been researching and interning every summer since graduating from high school, with plans already in place through next year. She interned remotely from home this summer, and lived with us for 3 months. If not for this pandemic, I doubt she would have lived at home for an extended period again. I’m sad about her absence but grateful for the extra time we had with her at home. She’s off again successfully adulting with a set of valuable skills in hand.
When COVID started, I put my credit card and my license in my back pocket to avoid touching so many layers of purse and wallet. The stack of cards in my back pocket has grown now as I wander more. I am enjoying the freedom of not schlepping a purse when I shop.
I actually did that a long time ago - can’t quite recall when, but sometime around high school or college. I was mostly raised by my dad (parents were divorced) and saw how much easier it was for guys, but didn’t want a wallet.
No regrets at all. Now I only use purses on those rare times when I don’t have a sufficient back pocket. Since I don’t wear dresses or skirts, it’s extremely rare. The older I get the more I won’t go somewhere where I can’t be relatively casually dressed. I’ve made two exceptions I can think of in the last decade. Both were when my lads got married.
I put one of those card holders on my phone, one credit card and a driver’s license. If I am going to the bagel place (cash or check only) I have to remember to grab some cash. (Luckily I keep an emergency $20 bill in the glove compartment!)
I have clothes and shoes that I might never wear again since work from home might be the ongoing normal. I had accumulated quite a work wardrobe- not fancy, but a lot of variety. It now sits…
Have not used currency or coin since March or so. Previously only used it when eating in restaurants with others and splitting the bill. Obviously, eating in restaurants with others is one of the higher risk activities with respect to virus transmission if anyone is unknowingly contagious.
Your response reminded me that I only carried a wallet in the pre-kids, pre-cell phone era. When the kids came along I needed the changing bag, and as they got older that was downsized to a purse. What goes around comes around. Now I need to find a slimmer wallet that fits better in my pocket.
There are many minimalist wallets. Most of them reduce volume by having card slots where you stack several cards together to put in one slot, instead of having a slot for each card which adds extra thickness per card (or even an empty slot). Another means of reducing volume is by using thinner materials than traditional leather. The smallest ones are also designed for those who carry only cards, not currency, but the ones with a currency pocket can still be pretty small.
Many of them are marketed as “men’s” wallets, but there is no obvious reason why women looking for small wallets would not find them suitable.
My favorite minimalist wallets are the ones made out of Tyvek. https://mightywallet.shop/
Except for groceries, neither DH nor I have had any need to enter a retail establishment since March as we’ve been able to get everything we want/need through Amazon and other online outlets. I don’t see that changing.
I am babysitting my younger granddaughter to keep her safe. This would never have even been considered if not for Covid. And it is such a blessing for me. She is 7 months old now and both her parents are working for home and it’s just sweet really. An added bonus is getting closer to my DIL.
Yeah. I can’t get over how many people mask up and go shopping. Nope.
I just mentioned to my husband this morning how much I would love to go wander around Costco and buy a few things I didn’t know I needed 
Then I drove by a Costco on the wait to drop off food for my mother, and the parking lot was jammed. There were cars waiting to pull in from the main street and those were backed up. This Costco also shares a very large parking lot with a Home Depot, so between the two stores, it looked like a normal weekend before Christmas!
No thank you; I will visit Costco next year, I hope!
Costco is one of the few places I’ve shopped in person since March, once a month or so. My store has hours for seniors and health care workers from 9 to the regular 10 opening, and, after the first couple months with long lines, it has been a pleasure to go (and park!) there.
Yes, my husband goes about every 3-4 weeks for me during senior hour; I am at work, so can not go. I just miss walking around and looking! Unfortunately, he only buys what I put on the list, and can’t fine some of it; shopping is not his strong suit 