what's with the 20s...

 what's with the 20s....

  According to the American Optometric Association, 20/20 vision is a term used....to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet.  In other words, 20/20 eyesight is as good as it gets.  

  But, in hindsight, the year 2020 was not as good as it gets.  The year was a mix of emotions and a roller coaster ride for most of us.  

  Come to think of it, we've probably never had a perfect year.  How would we define an unblemished 12 month period?  Lots of factors to consider.  There's a global overview of the state of the world.  We would want to know how events impacted our own nucleus.  Plus, there's always something called, personal opinion.  So, unlike perfect 20/20 vision, an impeccable year would be difficult at best.  There are just so many elements to intrude upon perfection.  Take for example the Coronavirus aka CoVid-19.  

  HUH? What's up with that?  

  I am so glad the year is over, said Robert, a 63 year old former dentist in Kentucky.  It's been a burden on all of us, he continued.  

  Those sentiments or something similar have probably been echoed numerous times by most of us in the past ten months.  Not only has CoVid-19 caused hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world, it has also deprived survivors of freedom and some of their remaining time.  

  Once you pass a certain age, you think a lot more about your own mortality, Suzanne, a former police officer ruminated.  You come to terms with your age, but it's hard to deal with so many deaths all around you while knowing you are just as vulnerable.    

  Grace retired from Ford Motor Company as a purchasing agent.  We've all missed out on something, she said.  The difference is the Class of 2020 has a lifetime ahead of them.  Hopefully, I've got time ahead of me too, but it's a much shorter span of time and I don't want to lose anymore of it.  

  Many POS (people over 60) feel the confinement and restrictions put in place because of the pandemic have prevented them from pursuing their unfulfilled dreams.  

  When we retired, all we really wanted to do was travel, said Helen, a piano teacher for 37 years.  She and her husband, Erik, an electrical engineer, ended their careers at the same time four years ago. We were never able to have children, so there are no grandchildren to enjoy and spoil, she said.     

  I always thought of working another two or three years, said Robert.  I resent having that taken away from me and I don't get to choose how it ends.  But, the reality is, I wasn't comfortable practicing because of this virus, so I closed it down.  All my patients have moved on.  

  Lucy left administrative work after a 40 year career.  She most recently worked for an appliance chain.  

  My husband and I don't feel at ease around the grandchildren or our own kids.  They've all been out and about and we're worried about being in close contact with them, she commented.  We've done some international travel and want to do more, but this has kind of put a hold on everything.  We can't replace the time we've lost.

  Greg stepped down as a sales executive after four decades with General Electric. I live alone now and it can get depressing.  I always thought I would like to own a small business when the time came, but now everything has changed.  It's not a good time to invest in the unknown, he confided.   

  While the year 2020 wasn't as pure as 20/20 eyesight, some people look forward optimistically and others with some degree of introspection.

  It's what we have, so deal with it, said Larry, a semi-retired machinist.  Fix up the house, put in that patio you've thought about but never done.  There's lots to do. The important thing is to think positive so when this is over, you'll be able to go about your business. 

  Kathryn has used the time alone to make self improvements.  I really feel we have to look at how we've always thought of things and change old ways.  This is a time to work on becoming a better person, she said.  The former Von Maur cosmetic sales woman went on to say, It would be a shame to have wasted all this time we could have used for improving ourselves.  

  Last year's news from three pharmaceutical companies has perhaps brightened a somewhat gloomy picture.  It seems we can at least see a possible return to normal on the horizon. 

  A vaccine certainly gives everybody something positive to think about, said Grace.  But, I don't know if it's going to be a magic elixir because I've talked to a lot of people who say they won't take it.  How is that going to help?  

  I think we're going to have to wait and see, Suzanne said.  We all want it to work, but does everyone have to take it to get rid of the virus?  There's so much that's unknown.

  Robert awaits the day we can put away the masks.  Won't everyone be glad to get rid of these things?  I have often wondered how all of this was handled during the 1918 pandemic, he mused.  Did the entire country go along with wearing a mask?  I doubt it.  

  It's hard to disagree with his logic, especially since the mask issue caused so much strife and political discourse in 2020. 

  When you look at the map, it looks like states with Republican governors are against wearing masks, while the opposite is true with Democratic governors, voiced Greg.

   He appears to be correct.  Although attitudes are changing, according to Forbes.org,.....of the 19 states that have yet to issue a mask mandate, 18 are run by Republican governors, a sign facial covering orders remain a partisan issue among public officials even as polling shows the divide around them fading.

  Health officials have been telling us for quite some time the benefits to society as a whole if just 80% of the population would wear a mask.  The University of California-San Francisco's Chin-Hong says.....culturally, the U.S. wasn't really prepared to wear masks unlike some countries in Asia where the practice is more common.  He went on to say, Even now, some Americans are choosing to ignore CDC guidance and local mandates on masks and that's foolhardy. 

  A few weeks back, says Lucy, we took our two sons and their wives and kids to the Gulf Coast.  Most of the time, we would be the only people walking into a restaurant wearing a mask.  Just stopping on the highway for gas was challenging.  My husband soon learned to pay by credit card at the pump. 

  No, the span of 2020 wasn't without problems unlike 20/20 eyesight.  But, looking back, just like any other dimension, we find the year will long be remembered for a litany of events, some good, some bad, and some in between.  There is no doubt you will categorize your family's episodes according to the severity of happenings.  

  Lets hope 2021 will bring the world peace and eradication of this dreaded virus.  

  A final thought about wearing a mask (or not) and the message is courtesy of bizwaremagic.com:  

  The spread of CoVid-19 is based upon two factors:

   1.  How dense the population is

                      and

   2.  How dense the population is 

    HUH? What's up with that?