The biggest change that ^@#$% pandemic brought forth is the fact that I am now fatherless. How have I adapted? Who says I have? I’ll never be okay about my Dad being gone because of Covid, even if it means he’s now in an infinitely better place he had always wanted to be.
In principle, I have nothing against physical death. It is supposedly inevitable – the great equalizer. What I cannot make peace with is the pandemic happening in the first place, and the fact that it senselessly took so many lives. Talk about genocide! There are plenty of suspicious details about how the pandemic started and how it progressed, but that’s a rant for another day.
As for me adapting to this devastating change, I guess there was really no other choice but to go along with the progress of time. It does move forward despite anybody’s grief. It’s futile to do so, but I still wish I had done more with my Dad, spent more time with him, let him know how much I loved him in words and deeds…
The positive, I suppose, rests in the lesson learned. Dad may be gone, but I still have many loved ones around. It’s a matter of applying that lesson where it still serves. Here are some inspired ways to demonstrate love and caring so that it never becomes just lip service.
- Send them funny postcards through snail mail.
- Have a favorite treat delivered to them.
- Come up with a unique endearment for them.
- Ask them about their current interests.
- Invite them to a meal or even just tea or coffee.
- Ask them if they’d like to join a class with you.
- Throw them a party, even just a small one.
- Offer to do a chore for them.
- Share with them something wonderful (a book, a movie, a café…) that you just discovered.
- Do karaoke and dedicate a fitting song to them.
- Go for long walks/drives with them.
- Share a fond memory you have of them and let them know how you feel when you remember it.
- Give them your undivided attention when they talk to you.
These are just a few ideas. You can come up with even more. The important thing is to carry them out while you still can. Have a good one!
This Small Life 