I am personally very thankful for this year. 2020.
Seriously. Genuinely thankful.
It was a miserable year for humankind and armed with a magic
wand I would have changed it in an instant.
I can’t change the virus, politics, unrest, lockdowns, racism, or oh so
many other things.
What we could control was our response to the virus and the
other things. It was, and is, a massive
curveball nobody asked for. Along with
hundreds of thousands, I was furloughed
with virtually no notice. I had made my
wishes known in advance should tough choices need to be made and my wishes were
followed (be careful what you ask for).
Virus and furlough.
Learning new concepts and words.
Social distancing, PPE, flattening the curve, hospitilizations, ventilators. Frightening, but I had four advantages.
First was Leigh. Strong, smart, medical background,
flexible, a great partner with whom to discuss and parse information.
Second were the discussions I had in the eighties regarding
the AIDS epidemic with my medical doctor father. The viruses, methods of transmission, etc are
totally different from each other, but there were parallels. Overblown hype, uninformed news, uneven
adoption of safe practices, and fear accompanied both pandemics. Over reaction and under reaction were both
problems. Dad was able, with his sober
medically trained mind, to break things down for me and we chatted about it.
The virus was the enemy and there were ways to avoid it. One can never reduce the risk to zero, as a
Mayo Clinic professor acquaintance of mine said, crossing the street carries some
inherent risk greater than zero. Risk
mitigation, not elimination, is the key, along with acceptance of the residual
risk. You do what you can, and accept
the result.
The third advantage was a bio tech email shared with me by
another buddy back in early April. The
note was from their CEO who succinctly described a 12 to 18 month event, which
at this point (December of ’20) seems about right, if not a tad
optimistic. Wrapping my head around a
long term event, not wasting any energy or thought about ‘getting back to
normal’ were keys to charting a path forward.
The final advantage was the hobbies or pursuits Leigh and I
like to do. Backpacking, hiking,
kayaking, boating, visiting the island.
All covid friendly pursuits where minor tweaking, not drastic change,
resulted a safe and rewarding experience. We didn’t make a habit of hitting
bars, or revolve our life around eating out or attending concerns or sports
arenas. Occasionally yes, but not
central pursuits. The outdoors has
always had an organic gravitational pull for both of us and that remained ‘in
scope’ even with the pandemic.
So when the virus really hit, we were, unexpectedly and
without real forethought, prepared. Our
experiences, pursuits, and relative financial health put us in good
position. The thing that probably tipped
the balance was ready access to unemployment and the additional $600/week of
unemployment. I’ve never, in nearly 50
years of working, have ever taken unemployment.
It was, for 3 months, the difference between a little financial
discomfort and no discomfort. It deferred the worrying should furlough turn
into lay off. Fortunately we returned to
our jobs prior to the cessation of the extra $600. Did we deserve it? No. Are
we grateful? A resounding yes.
Leigh was out of work for 2 months and I was out of work
for 3. After applying for the unemployment
and realizing that we were in a fortunate position, the value of time shifted
dramatically. From a precious, carefully
managed resource to a thing of abundance needing to be thoughtfully filled. With no time to plan, we just started making
decisions. The greenhouse took
shape. A 9 by 5 underutilized patch of
the yard was designated as the ‘site’ and we started digging. And digging.
And digging. A retaining wall
needed to be built, the site leveled, water and electricity plumbed in, walls
framed, roof joists made and custom glass installed. None of which I had ever done before. Early on I realized I was not ready for
retirement and I needed something to ‘do’.
And by ‘do’, I mean plan, worry about and execute. I worried a lot about the greenhouse. There are seemingly an infinite number of
ways to do certain things and the choices need to be first understood, then
evaluated, with one path selected. Over
and over again. It was both agonizing
and fun and we are both happy with the final result. A Leigh designed, Mark built, she/he shed
serving as intimate wine bar and dining room. An office during the day. And a
greenhouse.
We also continued our January/February plan of camping each
month. Somewhere, somehow. Each
month. The goal of camping each month
locked us into a better planning cycle. Which
weekend was the camping weekend. We got
out on the kayaks more, camping on Blake Island and both Hope Islands, one in
each end of Puget Sound. We backpacked
up on Mount Adams, camping at 7000 feet during the summer and went back near
Mount Adams late in the Fall to spend a rugged night with 35 mph winds and 15
degree cold (without windchill). We car
camped near lake Cushman and near Port Townsend, slept a night on the beach in
front of the cabin and during the middle of the lockdown spend a night in the
backyard. We spent two very social
outings with Becky, pitching a tent near her trailer, one near Mount Rainier,
and once on Whidbey island. Hikes and
trail runs accompanied both outings.
We also redecorated the little cabin. Framing pictures, arranging and rearranging
them, and planned a kitchen remodel (this winter, but in 2021). We spend more time on the island and had
great meals up there with mom. While
most were foregoing holiday meals, we time shifted, having two thanksgiving
feasts and two Christmas feasts.
We started using zoom, staying better in touch with friends
that we’ve done in a long time.
All this in a year where the general perception was staying
home and lying low – which we did as well.
Our personal ‘bubble’ was very small.
Family only and even then being careful.
Given all that has gone on, we are thankful for 2020. A pivotal year, but one for which we are thankful. For us, it was that age old lesson
of being handed lemons and making lemonade.
There’s much truth to that adage.
What we couldn’t do filled volumes.
Figure out what you can do and do it.
We are thankful.
And now some pics that capture the year. The green house had humble beginnings. The only logical site was a sloped bit of land between the raised beds and the deck. So excavation was done by hand and took some time.
The inside -- a she/he shed that serves as an office, wine bar, intimate dining room and, oh ya, a green house.
