How to Celebrate During a Pandemic

            This time it was my niece’s birthday we were celebrating. My pandemic anxiety was not in check as I drove to my sister’s home. I wanted to hug my niece as she opened her presents but instead sat six feet away from her in the backyard, while wearing a mask. My sister received a box of ‘K95’ masks for me to wear in the hospital, and as I tried one on, I wondered if it really would protect me, and hence my loved ones as well, from COVID-19. As I felt the heat of my breath, my anxiety surged, and like air droplets themselves, spread to my sister as well.

            Fortunately for us, my niece’s best friend and her family had high spirits and were undeterred by pandemic stress nonsense. When my sister, niece and I entered their back yard for a picnic, the sun was beaming as bright as the smiles on their four faces. They had decorated poster boards, and created an outdoor picnic area with a unicorn theme, including gift bags, cake and presents.

            It was the first time in over fifty days of social isolation that I felt a semblance of normalcy. Their unabashed love, doting on my niece while maintaining their distance, squashed my fears and put my anxiety on pause.  I will remember that feeling of normalcy and am grateful for the love they showed my family.

            Anxiety is contagious, but so is kindness.