By Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Photography: Assunta Ng
Is the long weekend of July 4 a blessing or a curse?
Some people are bored with nothing to do on Monday, while others who have traveled for the first time since COVID-19 think the three-day weekend is not long enough.
Is this a post-pandemic disease that we find ourselves unable to adapt to the new normal?
Although I have a lot to do during the four-day holiday weekend (our office is closed every Friday), it is difficult to adapt to the reopening. Last week, I participated in three events in a week. What makes people uncomfortable is that only a few people wear masks. The few people who wore masks, including me, ended up not wearing them at all.
Guys, have you forgotten that delta variants exist in almost every state? Do you know that covid is not over yet? If I say this during the event, my friends will answer: “What did you say?” It seems that they can’t hear anything, or I’m crazy.
Both events I participated in said “only for vaccinated guests”. However, no one is there to enforce this rule. But how do we know if everyone has complied? Is the honor system the best way to do things?
I wrote in my blog, “Hug now.” Meaningless! Every friend wants to hug, and I don’t want to refuse them. What I wrote is not practical at all. Forget about elbow bumps?
“I thought we were over (elbow hug)?” When I stretched out my elbow, a friend said. It doesn’t matter, my friend has worked in the healthcare field before.
“Oh, shut up,” I retorted. We have been isolated for so long, and we need all the hugs we can get. Everyone in the room was very happy to see that the room was full of people. Our faces are filled with joy, joy and smiles, as if we are tired of wearing masks and social distancing from the new coronavirus restrictions. Really… Under that mask, all our emotions seem to be dead.
Soon, I got used to it. If I don’t want to hug, I will raise my elbows before anyone approaches me. effective. But I want to know if I am doing the right thing socially. Am I annoying anyone? Hug or not, I like to see people, talking and laughing in the spirit of being together. Each of us has many things to catch up. So many changes have taken place in our lives-sometimes it is not easy to know what to ask or what to share. However, please share the most special or important things that happened to you during the pandemic. This question reminds us to reflect on our achievements in the past 16 months. If we don’t do much, it’s okay. Thank you that everything is fine now, it’s time to move towards a meaningful career.
The story that moved me the most was a couple who moved to the San Juan Islands. This move is intense and difficult. But the impact was unexpectedly large. The couple educate their young grandchildren with special needs at home. He adjusted well in a school with only four students, including him. He is happy now and has found his place.
The epidemic has robbed us of a precious year. It makes us think about how and how we should live our lives to the fullest.
Not everyone has the opportunity to do this. Not everyone is creative enough to know how to use their time wisely. If you are an immigrant with a language barrier, the options may be limited.
Find the target
During the long weekend, a friend of mine was restless.
“On Monday, the stock market is closed. I need to find something to do. The three-day holiday is too long. What am I going to do?”
Avoiding the epidemic at home allows many retirees to join the stock market. It has become a profession for many people, and it has become a pastime for some.
Yes, I know someone trades stocks during the day. For those who can’t find better things to do, this is exciting and interesting. This is also a way to earn extra income. However, if they don’t know what they are doing, it can quickly destroy and deplete someone’s savings. Even for those skilled in the art, they have already paid a considerable amount of tuition to learn this industry. Trading stocks is no different from high-risk gambling. I would not recommend it as a hobby.
However, the retired seniors told me that this is what they often do. They can’t think of anything else to do. If they don’t play mahjong, the stock is their thing. Another thing is to watch too many Asian soap operas.
How to spend a fun day
Knowing how to entertain yourself is a skill and an asset. This is a lifelong education that requires time, self-awareness and patience to cultivate. An essential skill, it is worth having. What the pandemic taught me was self-knowledge.
If you want to have a good day, you must plan it, especially during the COVID-19 period. The night before, I planned tomorrow’s activities. Yes, I have a to-do list-everything I want to do is arranged on the schedule. For example, I don’t know how to write—I walk at 10 in the morning and what I put down is, “walk…in the morning.” I already know which park I choose to roam. If I want to eat seaweed that day, I will remind myself on the paper to buy seaweed. This means I have to go to the grocery store and pick what I like to eat. This is a good activity for me. If I want to talk to a friend, I will write “Call XX”. Every day, I have my own program.
In this era, it is never too late for retirees to find meaningful hobbies, and it is never too late to rediscover their interests.
If you are young and reading this article, please start developing interesting hobbies. If you like singing, please join the choir. Organize karaoke groups. I saw people singing together on Zoom. The performers said that it was great to be able to sing together during the epidemic.
If you can organize and organize books, movies, fishing, hiking, writing, painting, cooking, eating, knitting and other clubs…you can start various clubs.
Plan a trip. Now is the time to do so. Don’t stay at home. Take the ferry. Go to the San Juan Islands to see orcas swimming in the ocean.
Plant a garden. Plant trees in your yard. Suggest planting trees for your friends.
grilled. If you don’t know how to bake, it’s fun to learn.
Learn a language. Do not laugh at me. I did learn some Italian phrases from YouTube last year. I may have forgotten them now. But if I travel to Italy, I can quickly relearn the language. If you have anything to teach, please make a YouTube video. If you have a large audience, you can make new friends and even find sponsors.
Professor Zhao Yashu wrote and published his memoir in Chinese. Standing next to Zhao is his wife, Nancy, who is writing her memoir. She is a former reporter of “World Journal”.
If you want to write a book, now is the time. If you can’t find a publisher, you can publish it yourself at any time through Amazon.
If you can’t think of anything to do, that’s okay. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Go out for a walk in the park. My favorite thing to do during the epidemic. Seattle is a park city. There are so many great parks and few tourists. We pay taxes, so we should use our money.
Reopening everything is possible, you just have to make up your mind to find your niche. Talk to friends and see what they do in their spare time. It can open up your world and connect you with people you haven’t seen for a long time.
Assunta can be reached assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
