With the move, I had gone to the new state first as My Father solely wrapped up things from many years. Therefore, we were far apart and in 2 different states.
When My Father and I initially arranged our move via long distance, we did everything correctly, utilizing referrals, qualified people, dotted our ‘i’s’ and crossed our ‘t’s’, completed paperwork, followed instructions and timelines, and still ended up getting scammed.
I was livid, frustrated, alone and inwardly scared, but no one could have guessed because I had a good Poker Face.
There we were at the bottom of the vessel, very slowly climbing up, and still got messed up…AGAIN.
Really?!
It was a combination of greed, an Urgent Care visit for me, a week in a hotel to focus on regaining my health and understanding how to get out of limbo.
And here I was in a new place, not familiar with many things and very far away from the people who would help me.
The same moving company which brought my things to the new state, helped me and sent 3 gentlemen to pack up all my things (I had cleaned and unpacked every single thing) and move me to another place. Thank God. Thank all of you for helping me.
The Dolphin and Our Fearless Leader ‘phone-walked’ with me through that scary time, as The Dolphin injected daily boosters to my soul. Thank you so much for ‘holding me’ up.
What a rocky start to a new stage in life.
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Some people help you in the way they, themselves want to, and when then feel to be helpful. Instead of how you need the help and when you really need it. This journey has shown me this absolute truth and I am deeply sorry to anyone I failed to help, in the way they needed my help and at the exact moment they needed me to help them.
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When the mess happened, I seemed to have gone into ‘handle-the-situation-and-just-get-it-solved’ mode (something from my Pre-Brain Injury workdays), and married it with an amazing time managed by God, because I have no words to explain how some things happened.
That experience solidified my characteristic to not ask for a referral, but to start from scratch, do all the groundwork myself and then follow it with my own research and investigation. A trait that proved to be a great advantage for me during the early days of the pandemic because it allowed me to make some unbelievably beneficial links for myself.
The rough moving experience also put an immediate stop to me automatically believing another’s word, but to remember that some people can incorrectly repeat a learning experience they missed.
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The Pandemic of 2020
I had just finished exercising and walked through the front door, when I got a text from The Dolphin which said,
“Go straight home and stay there. Something is happening and people are dying. Stay home until we know more!”
I did.
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I was alone for the first half of the pandemic of 2020.
In December 2019, My Father made the first of 3 trips, as he solely did a back-and-forth thing wrapping up his former home. And somewhere in the middle of the last 2 trips, My Father and I were caught in 2 different states with borders closed.
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I was concerned about his welfare as a senior citizen, alone and where to get food. He had no stove, oven or even microwave. He relied on going (walking or taking the bus) to his regular food places to eat a proper daily meal and balanced that with small, weekly, grocery shopping. With everywhere immediately shut down, there was a lot of praying, phone calling, computer research and hoping on my end.
He also had no television, washing machine, or car, and only a shaky reception on a mobile telephone. Earlier I did say a caveman living in a metropolitan city, I meant it.
So even before the pandemic he was not in a position for city life, and the pandemic simply highlighted, underlined and bolded text, the issue.
Eventually his Senior Center (which was far away without a car), offered 5 frozen meals for collection weekly. He would take the bus, walk through the drive-through area to pick up 5 frozen meals. He would then put a meal in the sun to warm up on the day he was going to eat it. The weather was still winter-cold, but the sun was out. And it was exactly here that I was grateful for his caveman behavior.
Oh, the adventures of that unusual time.
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My Friends would text me or call me to check on me and keep me going.
The Dolphin treated me like I was still at work with her and would text me the day’s theme for dressing. I followed it.
Beam Me Up would text jokes and once asked me how I was making out. I answered him,
“Well people are living like me now.”
I got daily checks, texts, Bible readings, and updates from The Dolphin, The Lantern Holding Angel (alone too), The Adultsitter, The Butterfly, and The Violinist.
And I got regular communications from The Godfather, My Hero Cousin (alone too), The Italian Angel (alone too), Wonder Woman, The Hummingbird, The Purple Bicycle, My Tribe (some members alone too) and all the soon-to-be-written-about set to follow.
Birthday parties through Zoom on the computer, with simultaneous chats happening on my phone. I went to virtual concerts and virtual dance parties. My Saturday nights were rocking.
I hope I managed to lift you all, as you all did for me. Many thank yous.
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One of the very first things I did, was make mosaics (please see pictures).
I did so many webinars to keep myself busy, very distracted and the loneliness at bay. I must have done over 100 webinars.
I did art classes, virtual studio tours, virtual museum tours, textile presentations. You name it, I did the webinar. I figured everything was shut down, so I might as well learn.
I was very careful to choose where I wanted to learn from, and was wary of characters, opportunists, and nonsense communicators. I made certain to select worldwide reputable, long established and known places.
I used the world pause to get to know my New Self, learn many things, and to discover my new passions. I did all sorts of artwork.
Every Saturday afternoon for maybe 3 months, The Voice held video chats with a group of us to help us build ourselves. I got to do a lot of personal rebuilding and major work on myself.
I am the self-entertained type. May not always seem to be the great friend type (I think), but I know I will appear as promised and will have your back. Definitely not the great romantic type either, I am working hard on that.
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I grew up where, if you did not like something, the more it was done to you. And if you made the mistake to voice any ‘likes’ (people or otherwise), it would be used against you. Inherently that taught me to always stay present, alert and quietly observe. Then eventually I turned into a people-watcher. And remember I can meditate with my eyes open or closed, so I could check-in or -out at will. During the pandemic, that ability turned out to be fun for me, to help break up the time and to help move me and my spirits, forward.
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Six months later My Father would show up with too many suitcases and in desperate need of any sort of haircut. I was greatly happy to see him ALIVE. Skinny yes, long unruly hair yes, but ALIVE.
So, I became a Barber for a short time. That profession would have long fired me if it were not for 2020.