Life has been interesting during the COVID-19 Pandemic and I feel like everyone’s emotions have been all over the place. Tuesday was Library Workers Appreciation Day and Mrs. Davenport sent all of us an e-mail thanking us for our service and dedication. I’ve always wanted to be a librarian, so the e-mail uplifted me and I was grateful for the nice e-mail.
Unfortunately, Laura contacted us today and the township decided to furlough part-time employees, which makes sense. I haven’t been able to work since 13 March and I was still getting paid. They have to watch their budget and I understand totally. I’m grateful I was still getting paid and I know this wasn’t an easy decision for the township. We can collect, but since I have my full-time job, I’m not sure if I can collect and even if I could, I have been reading about the nightmares of collecting. August will be 14 years since I started working there, I started there when I was 17, a week before I entered my junior year of high school. I hope that COVID-19 won’t alter the library field too much.
In a time like this, I am glad I still have my full-time job and have income coming in. I’m grateful that I have a roof over my head, food on my table, and that I still live with my family. I feel for those who do not have an income and they are worrying.
Yet, with all of the COVID-19 stressors, I’ve been carving out time for relaxation. I signed up for Prevention‘s Virtual 5k yesterday and on 2 May, I will be walking from my house to the mall and then back, to walk with all the others who signed up virtually. I hope to get my shirt, bib number, and sign soon. I’m really excited and I’m grateful Prevention is still having this event. I think it’ll do everyone well to walk 5k. There’s nothing a good walk can’t cure and I’ll have my Amazon playlist going.
I’m thankful for my full-time job’s corporate morning meetings about mindfulness and feelings. By participating, I’ve “met” a wonderful, supportive community, and I like how we can share things, in a safe environment. These meetings make my morning bright. Yesterday when I went out for a walk, I decided to stop and smell the blooming purple wisteria bush. I remember when I first saw this bush eight years ago, I loved taking photos of it. I stopped walking this way in 2014, but decided to start walking this way again and I was happy to see that the house still had the bush! I’ve been taking pictures of it for the past month because I like to take progression photos. I took a few photos yesterday and stopped the smell their heavenly scent.
I’m also thankful for friends. Last night I decided to text Luke and ask him some printer questions. I’ve been having issues with the HP printer – it won’t print in colour, I troubleshooted, reinstalled, restarted, nothing. Luke suggested changing the ink; it is almost empty, so I’ll do that.
I’ve been ordering photos for some of Happiness Box 2019’s scrapbook, but I’ve been ordering mostly for Happiness Box 2020. Since I can’t pick up the photos, sometimes they come two weeks later. It’s no biggie for the 2019 scrapbook, but when I get them for 2020’s Box, I mark them. I also want to start saving some money and want to start printing my own photos until we’re back to normal. I started my page of Dorney Park with Luke, Anna, Allison and I from July 2019, but I have a spot left. The 4×6 photo I have of the Williams Valley Group would be too big, but the photo of Dorney Park Luke took and sent to all of us, would fit perfectly if I printed it myself.
I’ll take Luke’s suggestion and change the ink later, I’m hoping that helps. This happened to me once before with that printer, with an old laptop. I’m thinking Luke might be right. Ah, printers being picky, gotta love technology!
What are you thankful for?
The Happiness Box Project 
Hi, Jessica Marie!
Happy Thankful Thursday, dear friend!
it was nice that you got words of appreciation on Library Workers Appreciation Day. I’m sorry to learn that you and other part-time employees needed to be furloughed. It’s hard to imagine how much this prolonged COVID crisis will change the game. Speaking of “game,” I was just discussing the baseball season with my family and wondering if there will be a major league season this year and, if so, what it will look like. Games played in empty stadiums? Across Florida we have Grapefruit League games played at major league teams’ spring training camps. I can’t imagine any of those games happening this spring. The new normal is here and continues to unfold in ways we have not begun to comprehend.
On the flip side, the bright side, you are making new friends through your virtual meetings. You are also making adjustments, shaking up old patterns. It’s good for you. For example, look what happened when you decided to started walking past that house with the purple wisteria bush after all these years. You found something to delight your senses of sight and smell, little gifts from the universe, I call them, and I have learned to recognize them everywhere I go. A while back I was standing on our lanai when the most beautiful butterfly I ever saw flew back and forth in front of me for a good long while. I took it as a sign, a gift. Think of all the wild animals that inhabit the earth. They go about their daily lives oblivious to “the psychodramas and the traumas” (song lyrics from “Along Comes Mary”) that we humans deal with. They don’t complain. They just live.
Mrs. Shady and I owned an HP printer for years. It seemed like all we got done was buying new colored ink cartridges for it. They don’t last very long. Your Dorney Park page pops.
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM!
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