Help me overthink Thanksgiving

[_MeDotOrg]

I'm guilty of living in my own narcissistic bubble. I'll be 70 this year, and I'm not going to have to think about making a living in the Post-Covid universe. I was a Tour Guide, which I loved, but I don't see that business coming back before next spring at the earliest. I forget what life is like for people who have to think about careers and extended families.

In some ways I am well-suited to social isolation. I can be very happy puttering around inside my own head (not necessarily a good thing sometimes). The other thing I am not dealing with right now is the death of a loved one. It would be very hard if someone in my extended family were ill and I couldn't see them.

So I wasn't really hearing your conflict, currently the Covid universe is not nearly as bad for me as it is for most people. Just don't feel like you have to have the situation mastered. Everyone is making it up as we go along. Just keep tugging on the threads that keep you connected.

[_Gunnar]

MeDot I'm going to just be real here and say that the family is dealing with some sad things right now and it's not turkey day. If you want to know anything, feel free to shoot me a message but nothing is going in a post here. Otherwise I'll just continue faking it for the masses here and let myself enjoy periods of normalcy when I post.

I'm sad to hear that. I wish you and yours the best possible resolution to those "sad things", whatever they are, and that you all manage to get through the coming holiday season relatively healthy and happy.

[_Gunnar]

I'm guilty of living in my own narcissistic bubble. I'll be 70 this year, and I'm not going to have to think about making a living in the Post-Covid universe. I was a Tour Guide, which I loved, but I don't see that business coming back before next spring at the earliest. I forget what life is like for people who have to think about careers and extended families.

Wow! You're just a young feller! I've got 7 years on you. I hope you manage to get back into the tour business again next year. I have a feeling that I would immensely enjoy having you as a tour guide. It would be fantastic if we could arrange for that to be possible sometime next year. It has been a few years since the last time I visited San Francisco. It ranks high on the list of my favorite big cities to visit, along with San Diego and Copenhagen (which I doubt I will ever see again during what remains of my lifetime).

[_Jersey Girl]

MeDot I'm going to just be real here and say that the family is dealing with some sad things right now and it's not turkey day. If you want to know anything, feel free to shoot me a message but nothing is going in a post here. Otherwise I'll just continue faking it for the masses here and let myself enjoy periods of normalcy when I post.

I'm sad to hear that. I wish you and yours the best possible resolution to those "sad things", whatever they are, and that you all manage to get through the coming holiday season relatively healthy and happy.

We're just dealing with "stuff", Gunnar. Thanks.

[_Jersey Girl]

I'm guilty of living in my own narcissistic bubble. I'll be 70 this year, and I'm not going to have to think about making a living in the Post-Covid universe. I was a Tour Guide, which I loved, but I don't see that business coming back before next spring at the earliest. I forget what life is like for people who have to think about careers and extended families.

In some ways I am well-suited to social isolation. I can be very happy puttering around inside my own head (not necessarily a good thing sometimes). The other thing I am not dealing with right now is the death of a loved one. It would be very hard if someone in my extended family were ill and I couldn't see them.

So I wasn't really hearing your conflict, currently the Covid universe is not nearly as bad for me as it is for most people. Just don't feel like you have to have the situation mastered. Everyone is making it up as we go along. Just keep tugging on the threads that keep you connected.

I'm mostly in the bubble, MeDot and for the most part I do very well in it. Since I lean so heavy into Introversion and grew up as an only child, I really don't run out of finding things to do, learn about, and work on. I can entertain myself quite easily. For winter, I am building my usual pile of books for winter reading, saved up a list of audiobooks, I have creative projects gathered up, I'm going back to taking online classes in probably another month (depending on the schedule) and I've got a new rebounder coming tomorrow that will cover the cardio workout stuff during winter which is always a challenge since we're inside so much during that time. The past 8 months have been like riding out a very long winter and while I does wear on me some times, I know how to do it.

The thing that bothers me about Thanksgiving is possible dissent and/or conflict over what to do or not do about it. I don't have a problem either way with doing it in some creative way or cancelling it altogether and let everyone figure out their own day. Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday...it closely trails Valentines Day which I wholly detest.

With regard to family or friends coming down with Covid, our nephew and his wife back East had it and seemed to recover in about 10-14 days at home. We're very thankful that others in the household didn't contract it including their children and JB's sister who is younger than us but still could be considered high risk category.

I do think the hospitality, travel, and tour industry is going to come back next year. It might not be full force as companies figure out how to deal with accommodating a public only part of which would have been vaccinated. I think the temperature checks are going to stay with us and as a traveler myself (who wants to cry every time she hears a plane fly overhead out here) I would be happy to see temperature checks remain in place forever, much like when the security measures were stepped up after 9/11. The masks, I could wear forever and love them. When I do get a chance to travel again, I will wear a mask. This pandemic opened the door to something I've always wanted to do which is wear a mask on flights. All the sanitizing and disinfecting stuff I've done for decades so that isn't anything new but now society as a whole has heightened their awareness of good hygiene practices which can only be a plus in our favor.

I'm not sure how cruise lines will handle things but since I think you said you did tours like on a trolley (I've only driven through SF so I don't know the city but it's some place I would love to visit) I'm assuming that is open air and so I think the tours could easily start again but I think your tours probably also depend on folks traveling either by ground or air, so there is that to consider.

What I am saying is that I don't think your industry has experienced a death at all, I think it will recover with modifications. My thoughts always return to what one of Andrew Cuomo's staff members said during a live stream.

"We're building the plane while we're flying it".

Americans are pretty darn innovative. I think life will get back to a newer and improved normal that will be healthier for all!