Like everyone we are experiencing the shut down due to Covid. Southern California trying desperately to get people to stay home, adhere to the safety regime and hopefully not end up in the hospital or worse the cemetery. Can’t say as a state we are having much luck. I believe we may have some of the largest numbers of active covid at present, not sure about the hospitalizations and deaths. Hard to keep up with the data.
Have a much loved great grandson who is entering Med. school this Fall. He has lots of angst about the family exposing themselves and others in what he considers a dangerous environment. Recently one of our family members was tested positive. Very scary time for all of us. Noone knows where he contacted, he works in an environment where there are many people. So……. unknown contact. Angst is a good thing and perhaps even having a family member contact covid has a positive effect in that it is forcing all of us take inventory of our behaviors and be more careful.
It is so easy to walk around in our pretend world and believe that because we feel well today we will not be infected. We all pretend we are not going to die. Even at 83 yrs. of age I have to constantly tell myself “life is short” be careful, try to live each day fully. The Buddhist have a saying “Death sits on your shoulder every day – pay attention”.
So for now my husband and I stay home with our cat, Prince. We venture out to get groceries and do a pharmacy trip about once a week.
So, From California to anyone else wherever you are, take care, stay well, be mindful, and be happy.
Write, write, write. A passion that has driven me since childhood. Do I have anything really important to say, absolutely not sure about that. Perhaps?. Falls under the category of whether or not I believe in God. I’m comfortable at present being in the “I don’t know” category. Why I blog is so others can read what I write. Whether I hear from them or not is not of great importance. Blogging is a substitute for being able to have meaningful, thoughtful, conversations with intelligent people. I also find that writing my thoughts is a way of doing my own analysis. I sort out my personal issues, and those that involved my family. In other words think about what you are going to say before you say it.
I would hope after blogging for awhile that I will develop or find a community of other like minded people.
I believe I said this in another post – About Me. Have to say I’m somewhat confused about on WP, new to the site. So there may be duplicates, etc. I am female, senior. Wife, Mother, Grandmother. Retired Marriage and Family Therapist. Live and was educated in California, Born in WVA. Much of my values were formed in early childhood in WVA, therefore the Blog name Coalminerwritedaughter.
Dusting the furniture today and remembering all the times I have cleaned house. I actually enjoy the process, the end result feels wonderful. Cleaning house was a Friday affair while growing up. I was reared in a SDA(Seventh Day Adventist) home so getting ready for the Sabbath was important. My Mother, brother and I would clean together. Mother would assign the chore, and of course oversee to make sure it was done correctly. WE never had a very large house so I don’t remember the project taking a very long time. What I do remember is how good it felt to have a clean and orderly house and also to know that my Mother was pleased.
On a daily basis the routine was to make your bed, do the dishes, set the table for the next meal, hang up your clothes, take out the trash, take care of the pet, and then off to school. Forgetting or not having time was not in our vocabulary. So, the Friday schedule was scheduled for “deep cleaning”. Scrubbing the floors, changing bed linens, dusting all the furniture, cleaning the bathroom, cleaning the stove and refrigerator, etc.
AS a result
I now have an embedded routine for cleaning and keeping things in order. I have good memories of those early days and frequently am thankful for a parent that believed in structure and having everyone in the family be responsible for taking care of our abode.
The dusting and doing light cleaning, which is all I can do at this time of my life, is a time of meditation. I dust and do not think, wash dishes and do not think, do laundry and do not think – a blessed time away from my active brain.
Church attendance with the family shares many of the same characteristics as cleaning the house. Although I can remember being sleepy and many times bored with the sermons ,the being there with my Mother and brother, was a weekly ritual. A place to meditate, be together in a quiet place, and share friendships after the service was over. My relationship with my Mother was difficult because we were both fighting for control. Despite the many troubled times I knew she had my back and the fence around me was high and strong. Life was good then. I felt grounded and safe.
Many times I feel fortunate to have grown up “back then”. Born 1937. The current generation appears to have a more difficult time finding a safe place with their family. Family cleaning days and probably family church attendance is a rarity.
Senior thoughts 