Courage, I love your buy flowers attitude. My house is full of houseplants and several vases of fresh cuts. My store sells flowers for a ridiculous price so there is no reason not to.
I like your use of the word emptiness. I think that is a stage I go through after coming out of depression. It is good to remember that it is temporary.
My BIL is feeling better. He suffered through a week of heavy depression after being hit by Covid. Fortunately, his wife and son are vaccinated. Just prior to coming down with Covid, he reemphasized his opposition to getting the vaccine. I wonder if his attitude has changed. He was lucky to have only a mild case.
Glee, teachers here are just starting to get the one dose vaccine. My state is still stuck in 1A, and I have been spending hours trying to find a fluke appointment cancellation. It frustrates me that twenty somethings who stay at home are getting the vaccine because they are obese, while I encounter thousands of people a week and am old and don't qualify. A neighboring state just opened up vaccinations to all people 16 and older starting Monday. The disparity in vaccine distribution is maddening.
My company has decided to drop monitoring the door and cleaning carts. We are now just leaving cart wipes by the door and are letting all in unless it gets crazy. We have been losing sales because people just drive by when they see a line outside, even if it's just a five minute wait. So far, customers don't seem to mind, and I had several whom told me that they haven't shopped the store in a year because of the lines. I personally wished they would have held off one more month to allow more employees to get vaccinated, but we are a for profit business and I get it. The crew is still getting four dollars an hour Covid pay on top of their regular hourly wage and most of them don't seem to mind. Everyone is suffering Covid fatigue, and just don't seem to care as much at this point.
FBL, glad that you will be able to see your Mom soon. Have you been able to get vaccinated yet?
Take care all!