Hau’oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year) to you and yours. I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits.
My annual letter a-l-w-a-y-s opens thusly, wishing that you and yours enjoy good health and spirits. Never has this been more salient as we are assaulted with job loss, income stress, social and physical isolation, while being stalked by a deadly virus. I hope even in this, you can find moments of joy, happiness, and hope.
 |
| Koa, Kea, & me |
For only the second time in my life, I spent Christmas alone. The lights on my tree blazed all day while a constant stream of carols suffused every nook and cranny. Nonetheless, it lacked luster without the gathering of friends and family. The footer on my emails reads:
This year, to lovingly observe z Holidays means giving up “but we always…” for the sake of everyone - so that next year we might once again have it all.
Only you can make it so. So do so.
… I could hardly ignore my own advice.
Well COVID sure put a monkey wrench into our year; didn’t it? So much for traveling home for Mom’s 95th or a subsequent memorial. Cancelled our 3-week hiking trip in the UK and a 2-week Home-for-the-Holidays including both Christmas and New Year. Do you know that in my 41 years of nursing I have never had a vacation that included both Christmas and New Years? This, my final year of nursing, was gonna be it. Auwe (alas) no mattah no moah; I going retire in 100 days anyways.
Yes, we lost my Mom and her sister Cornelia this year. This social isolation is very, very hard on our super seniors. Weeks before Mom died, just when Honolulu ended its lockdown, my cousins whisked “the sibs” (Aunties Jane (my Mom), Corn, San, and Ellen, and Uncle Dave) to an outside, physically-distanced luncheon. They invited us all to FaceTime into the gathering. Mom was mostly non-verbal and it was the last time I saw her and Aunt Corn. Good thinking cousins! Dey so akamai (smart)!
Working in an outpatient clinic is all kinds of new stress. Because my asthma has become a real problem, particularly during winter, I work in an N95 from the first day of fall, through the winter. (See how much you’ve learned this year? I don’t even need to explain PPE and N95.) So even before COVID hit, I was already in protect-my-lungs mode.
Kaiser was very fast to respond, canceling all in-person appointments and non-emergent surgeries prior to the California lockdown. Because we already make telephone and video visits, we pivoted to virtual work over one weekend. It wasn’t pretty but it was better than anyone else in the region - by far.
While I am fortunate to be working, still, it is anxiety producing to be locked in a small exam room with anyone for 20-minutes. What if they are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic? I think I pretty much speak for most healthcare workers (HCW) when I say: wear a mask, practice physical distancing, do it outside, and during this surge - stay home and do not gather.
Remember that during the 1918 flu pandemic, most of the 1.5 million deaths occurred during the winter. Just like, “Only you can prevent forest fires”; Only YOU can keep you/yours/us safe.
I am flummoxed by the lack of COVID response in the US - as is, BTW, the rest of the world. I’ve presented the science in my blog and will not repeat it here. But you are welcome to visit and read at:
https://lorinzmuze.blogspot.com.
One last thing regarding COVID. We saw early reporting in January from Wuhan that implied coronavirus was airborne. Unfortunately, it took the CDC the better part of a year to make that known. This new reporting shows confirmation data out of S Korea. “Coronavirus can travel farther and faster inside restaurants than previously thought, South Korean study suggests. Two diners at a South Korean restaurant were infected with novel coronavirus in a matter of minutes from a third patron who sat at least 15 feet away. The third patron was asymptomatic at the time.” WATCH z video!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2020/12/11/korean-restaurant-coronavirus-airflow-study/
But I don’t go to restaurants, you say. Yes, but when you invite even a few people over to eat, your home becomes like a restaurant. If attendees have not quarantined before and after a negative test or for 10-days, your gathering poses an unnecessary risk. With the virus mutation becoming increasingly transmissible, nothing but an N95 will keep viral particles out. The surge we are experiencing now is from small, familial gatherings over Thanksgiving. Officials fear the Christmas bump will force us to triage people away from healthcare from tents in the parking lot.
We are living through, what is on track to be, what history books will call, the greatest catastrophe in American history. With 350,000 Americans dead and a disease continuing to spread like wildfire, keep your masks on - we will likely need them for most of 2021 if not longer. Remember, the COVID vaccine does not prevent infection nor the spread of infection. Hopefully, like the flu vacc, it boosts your immunity to prevent a lethal infection. Make sure your lifestyle choices are consistent with survival.
The number of HCW COVID fatalities now number in the several thousands, though this data is not officially tracked. It stands to reason that if no one is tracking, the numbers are assuredly higher.
As we discuss surging outpatient personnel (like me) into staffing the hospital, I will make my exit if needed. Nurses and doctors came out of retirement to work the pandemic - some of them died. This is not the battle for older, frontline workers. This is a young persons war - and that’s not me.
My ukulele band KaBang! had continued to hold outdoors, physically-distanced rehearsals all year. But we have stopped for the winter, taking no chances to get through this surge.
 |
| Cora, Ayla, Leia, Alanna |
I did get to Newport Beach, CA in October to visit with Lael and her family before their move to Michigan. Because I could not isolate ahead of time, I wore a mask, kept my distance, and slept in BAM (Baconz Adventurosa Mobile). With some reluctance, I took my Humpty Dumpty (made by Aunt San) and bequeathed him to the next generation. He’s like 58 years old so I was a little sad to let him go.
With lots of alone time I have devoured books, podcasts, and MasterClasses. Here are some of my recommendations:
Favorite podcast: Presidential by the Washington Post. This was originally a weekly broadcast prior to the 2016 elections. Highlighting each President in order of ascension, it begins with Washington and ended with Obama. They have since added two more episodes. I discovered Presidents I knew nothing about. It was a fascinating recall of American history as everything of import is touched by the hand of the President. Really, it was fascinating.
Favorite books: Lincoln-Team of Rivals. At times, reading this was a slog, an almost daily accounting of Lincoln’s presidency. Nonetheless, there are striking similarities to our times and division. Famous for his generous opinions of others, one cannot fail to admire the thoughtfulness and grace that ruled Lincoln’s decisions. Angry letters never sent, snippets from his journal, and headlines from the NY Times all combine into a stimulating, nourishing stew that renewed my hope for our male-dominated, federal leadership. This tome is worth the time.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has co-written a few excellent prequels to Sir Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. Apparently KAJ is a real Holmesian; these books are true-to-form, in-the-vein, and riveting respite.
I have more recently been thinking and reading about citizenship, civic duty, and living in a way that is responsible to and for others in my community. America is known for its rugged individualism but that, it turns out, is a myth. Nor does that mentality serve us well in a time that requires us to consider others, to love them as ourselves, and to speak the truth. The new year is always a good time to reflect on who I’ve been, how I behaved, were my words kind and did I honor others?
What’s on tap for 2021?
Believe it or not, my 65th birthday quickly approaches and I am eligible to retire on April 1st. I had planned on another big party for both birthday and retirement. Auwe! Maybe 2022? When safe, I do plan to pack my van and drive east to see friends and family. Maybe even drive parts of Route 66. Maybe end up in the NE for a never-done-before: see the fall colors before returning home.
I would love to hear how you have fared and the direction of your life.
Be well. Find joy. Laugh, sing, dance, play, and love.
A hui hou kakou (until we meet again) ~Lorin
