Another Lap; the Last of the Forties

Last year at this time, things were just shutting down from Covid, we had "two weeks to flatten the curve", we were sitting on our couches waiting to see what we were dealing with, and staring at how much toilet paper we had because everyone kept yelling about a shortage, as if this was a digestive disorder. They were right, there was a shortage.  It's definitely been a weird, disruptive, surreal, freaky year.  And the year still passed and we're all a little older and probably not a lot wiser.

There was a news story last night of an elderly woman whose doctor wrote a prescription for her to go hug her adult granddaughter now that she got her second shot. The woman hadn't hugged anyone in a year.  They recorded her first hug, with her sobbing at finally being able to hug someone.  And all I felt was incredible sadness and anger.  She doesn't have a lot of time left, and they couldn't just run a covid test on a couple people and let family hug her now and then?  The story is a "feel good" story because she broke down now that she was given permission from her doctor to hug her family for the first time in a YEAR?  That's a bunch of bullcrap.  That's cruel. And sad.  And why are we giving people the right to control us to this degree? How many others like her never got that last hug before they died? How many have lost a year's worth of memories, of living, of their lives?  That was one of the saddest things I've seen, and watching her sob hanging on to her granddaughter made my eyes water.

Anyway.  It's been a quiet birthday. The winds have been howling, so my one flight today was canceled, which was okay with me. I had lunch with Nathan and Kevin, Steve, Ty and Dale.  When the waitresses came out and started singing Happy Birthday, I stared around at my table, who all know better, but it wasn't for me.  Whew.  :D  Steve and I went and picked up the Jeep from Mark, then I stopped at J Edwards and picked up a piece of red velvet cake. 

Steve headed to Indy for a meeting about the airshow we're doing this Spring down there, and I went out and picked up Japanese and brought it home for a birthday dinner of Philadelphia Roll, Mango Tango Roll, and red velvet cake.  Because I'm 49 and I can if I want to.  ;)

Most people are texting me "Happy 50th Birthday!" including my daughter.  They're trying to get my goat, but I feel pretty young at 49 still most of the time.  Fifty doesn't bother me much.  The thought of 60 is a little creepy, but I have time for that still.  After all, I'm only 49.  ;)  My last year in the 40s.  I have stuff I want to accomplish this year too, and I'm going to try to stay out of my own way and do it. 

Kaylee had a covid test to go back to college.  She said they did a brain swab this time, shoved it so far up there she choked and her eyes watered.  I don't know why they need to do that one when they do the other test that doesn't go to the brain stem just fine too.  But it's done. They set up a whole system to test all the kids these first few days. We'll see if there's much of a spike after everyone went off for Spring Break.  We weren't around crowds where we were. We had the beach to ourselves, the activities were all just with our unit and a boat operator a couple times, etc.  Didn't share an elevator with anyone else, wore masks into restaurants until we were seated safely on our butts where the Rona apparently can't get you.  The school is doing an impressive job with the organization of testing everyone, too.  I like her school.  I liked her high school too.  And her elementary school. And her preschool.  We chose well, or got lucky, multiple times.  I'm so glad. 

Well, the first day of 49 is wrapping to a close.  So far so good.  My red velvet cake was delicious, my sushi was delicious, all is well.