What can I say about a year that many would like to forget? 2020 was rough…
The last time I dealt with a dangerously contagious illness was in the early 2000’s. Working in a hospital brought the occasional meningitis or Tuberculosis patient across our threshold; the anxiety and fear of contracting a potentially lethal infection only lasted for a shift or three–to our added advantage we had layers of PPE (personal protection equipment) between us and the patient. To be constantly fearful about becoming exposed to and infected with a virus as insidious and unknown as COVID was all new territory: I would never look at travel and simple activities such as grocery shopping the same way again. In 20 years of nursing, the word quarantine had never crossed my lips, but now was being uttered multiple times per day–every day.
Isolation from our family and friends was difficult. Rumination and worry ruled our days. We cleaned our mail and groceries; unopened Amazon deliveries sat on the back porch for days. Groceries were scarce and essentials were non-existent. When the schools shut down and virtual schooling began, navigating through the programs and monitoring my son’s progress felt like a part-time job–online learning is not for everyone. Varying opinions about COVID complicated matters. The impact on the mental health of my household was palpable–normalcy was not on the horizon.
As the summer ended, the stressful decision came as to whether or not to go back to school in August: I chose to go back to work and my son chose to stay home and continue virtual learning. Our COVID numbers at school were high, as were emotions and hypervigilance. School nursing was worrisome: What if I caught COVID? What if I was one of those carriers that remained asymptomatic but contaminated my family and friends? The word overwhelming was an understatement. The light that glimmered at the end of the tunnel did not become visible until the vaccine arrived in early 2021; so as this post is about 2020, I’ll say that the year ended with little changed from the beginning.
The inability to travel–for a family that uses travel to keep our sanity in check–was crippling. By the summer, we knew we had to go somewhere. A cabin in Sugar Grove, North Carolina served as our solace for a week and we kept to ourselves. Outdoor activities kept us busy and we cooked our own food; it was about the best we could do all things considered. By November–frustrated with the continued restrictions–we had a quick getaway to Saint Augustine. Thanksgiving week took us to Fairhope, AL and New Orleans; we socially distanced and explored in a new way. I made a trip to Savannah to carefully spend a day with my BFF and then tour Savannah solo for a few days of respite from the day-to-day; a little side trip to Bluffton, SC was icing on the cake.
To add insult to injury, a leak was discovered in our master bathroom that also invaded the kitchen. Instantly down to one bathroom, my kitchen would be off limits several months later as well. The entire contents of my kitchen were moved to the dining room and sunporch; this was pure torture for a person who believes in ‘everything in its place’; it felt like living in chaos.
2020 served up stress on the side of stress from many angles: keeping it together most days felt like an impossible task. Enter my two salvations: perspective and reflection. Yes, this year was pretty shitty, but I gained perspective recognizing it could have been much worse. My family and friends had their health; those that we knew who became infected with COVID were affected mildly and recovered well– we were all very fortunate. In the wake of so many losing their jobs and their businesses, supporting small, family-owned places became an important goal and local farms sat atop our patron list. I learned how to be more resourceful with food by making more from scratch and wasting little. I reflected on my many years of nursing experience that involved a mental health component to help me better serve the needs of my own family and friends. My escapes during this unique year were writing, reading, and cooking; true to each ‘Best of” post, my favorites from the year are below. As this post is a year overdue and I close out my thoughts of 2020 in the last month of 2021, I am ever optimistic about the restoration of a feeling of normalcy in 2022. Best of 2021 to follow; see you soon…
My Veg Table’s Best of 2020:
Favorite Food/Travel magazine: Southern Living
Favorite non-food book: (tie) The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Favorite cookbook: Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines
Favorite local restaurant: Casita Taqueria
Favorite MVT savory recipe of 2020: Omnivore’s Picadillo
Favorite MVT sweet recipe of 2020: Grandma’s Raisin Sauce
Favorite place visited: Fairhope, AL
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