My Top 2020 Wins

It’s not the lottery or Top Top GOAT writer award. Better than that.

They laughed when I sat down to play the piano.

And with good reason. I only know the first three bars of Blue Moon. It gets old fast.

But they also laughed when I locked myself in my apartment for four solid months beginning last Marach. I’d still be sequestered with my only window on the world, the one that looks out on the homeless in front of my building. Lucky for my neighbor but sadly for me, she had minor surgery in early summer. She’d been doing everything I needed to stay quarantined, from getting my mail, to emptying my trash, to buying me my favorite milk at Trader Joe’s. I didn’t have to budge from my safe abode and risk infection. Until her doctor discovered she’d been my go-fer.

She shut down that action in a New York minute.

Apparently, she reamed my friend a new one for offering to risk her own health to take care of my shopping whims. Truth be told, I was relieved my friend was no longer taking chances on my behalf.

Since then, I’ve only ventured out of my hidey-hole a few times for essentials. Funny the things you don’t need when you have to go fetch them for yourself!

But, here’s my big win, I didn’t get the virus.

I’ve passed on celebrating the birthdays of everyone dear to me; zoomed Thanksgiving and Christmas, and will sleep through New Year’s for the first time in an age.

After writing every day for almost 30 years, I’d began to lose my writing discipline in July, and it’s gone from bad to worse.

But I didn’t get the virus.

I’ve gained back some weight I worked hard to lose last January and February. My jeans are tighter from spending so much time sitting, even though I’ve worn a hole in my rug doing at least 5k steps every day.

At my last checkup with my cardiologist two weeks ago, he told me my artificial valve is as good now as it was when I went through that awful surgery eight years ago–thank you, Fitbit step counter. But my diet is shot to kingdom come. Cookies taste better than salad when you’ve been in solitary confinement for ten months.

But I didn’t get the virus.

Except in one instance, my discomforts during the pandemic are minor compared to those who’ve been ill with COVID-19, lost a loved one to the disease, or suffered severe economic hardship.

My daughter has had non-COVID health issues that I’ve had to witness from afar, even though she lives a mere twenty miles away as the crow flies. But my car is parked at her house, and I can’t/won’t risk public transportation to get to her side of the bay.

We live in different counties with slightly different regulations, and out of care for one another and mine for her family, I’ve had to commiserate and offer comfort to her on FaceTime calls, texts, and e-mails.

I’ve paid a price for staying closeted for these past ten months. When I see photos of folks partying, traveling on planes, and flat out denying there’s a crisis, I want to scream. They are a big part of the reason the spread is so bad right now, and I can’t see my daughter.

But I haven’t caught the virus.

My city has been in official lockdown for almost two weeks, and our 7-day rolling average of new cases has fallen. Mask-wearing, social distancing, and staying the bleep home works, people.

I decided early on when it became clear the virus wasn’t another name for the flu, I’d get a bad dose if I caught it thanks to my age and risk factors.

So, I pledged to anyone who would listen that I’d do whatever it took to stay healthy. Of course, back in March and April, I assumed the sacrifice would last until May. So much for my crystal ball.

But I’m looking at staying put for a good part of 2021, and when I do go out, even after I get vexed, I’ll still do the whole nine yards of protection until the numbers are out on how long the vaccines offer protection and whether the vaxxed can still spread the virus.

I’m so freaking tired of all this…but I won’t go there because I know you are too. Even those of you who think you have some kind of macho bragging rights if you insist none of this has bothered you.

Scientists claim that if you’ve stayed inside for most of 2020, your body is suffering from lack of touch and human contact, even if you can’t notice the difference. Those of us who live alone get a double shot of the deprivation bonus.

But all of that is better than getting the virus.

Sure, lots of folks have no symptoms or get over it quickly with no bad effects. So what’s the big deal if you get infected?

But then there are the 330,000 Americans who died,and the millions dealing with long-term effects of their illness. Young, old, healthy, at-risk, the big C doesn’t play favorites.

So, in the words of Clint Eastwood, when it comes to thumbing your nose at the recommended but odious precautions: are you feeling lucky?

Yes, I’m ending up this miserable year healthy. With four days to go and no plans to socialize, I’m reasonably confident my luck will hold until the ball drops at Times Square.

My odds for 2021?

Some people have been as strict and even more obsessive about staying indoors this year, and still the virus has found them. My friend’s two teenage grandchildren were so afflicted and nobody in their universe showed up positive after they did their contact tracing. No idea how they got it, considering they do online school and zoom time with their friends.

So it’s not just playing by the rules that keeps me healthy. People who thrumb their nose at Dr. Fauci’s advice don’t get sick, and some who’ve locked their door to the outside world have still been infected. Fingers crossed, my diligence and dose of good luck lasts.

To the extent I can control my destiny, I’ve shunned physical contact with others, lived with wonky plumbing rather than call a repairman whose health I can’t track, and risked losing my social intelligence thanks to too much isolation.

When this is over, I’ll deal with those problems. My job right now is to do all I can to keep my winning streak in place. We’ll all have a lot to remember about 2020. It would be nice to say it was the year I won the lottery or finished that novel I’ve been writing for years, but if this is my only accomplishment, I’ll take it.

2020 is the year I didn’t get the virus.

I hope the same is true for you.

I’m an editor and writer on Medium with Top Writer status. I’m also an editor for the publication, Rogues Gallery. I’ve published 55 titles on Amazon and edit for private clients. If you’d like to hire me as your editor for fiction, non-fiction, or business writing, please contact me here. If you’d like to read more of my work on Medium, click here to sign up for my newsletter. Thank you for reading and stay safe.