27 th of December 2020
I am happy and looking forward to the new year. It will be interesting to know how everything goes with the vaccine and if we will be back to normal at this time next year. I dearly believe so and my hope is that the prediction is correct.
There is a lot to remember from this year, 2020 has been difficult for many and some will not rise up again as the same persons. Perhaps we have all been affected personally in one way or another and we will try to survive the pandemic and continue living.
I miss my friends and I miss not being able to hug them and kiss.
Few days ago, a friend was close to me and she suddenly gave me a hug, that was the first one I got from anyone since march this year and I almost cried. I had tears in my eyes and I am truly grateful for her not being afraid of me and just behaving like normal times.
I am high risk, because of my age and health, but I have taken care of everything since the outbreak in March.
I have not been inside any home during this time and I have not lived normal live. I had to stop going to the gym from March to June. That was difficult and what a joy when I heard they had opened again in June. Just going to the gym and seeing my friends there, even though no hugs and kisses, is pure joy and keeps me optimistic and happy.
In my little land many have been struggling during these months.
In my little village there is no Christmas celebration. The castle is closed, and the time is used to renovate the ground there. Next year we will have a great celebration and my village will be back to normal. That’s my sincere believe.
The small businesses are perhaps those who have been suffering most during this year. They have had to close and the markets have not been held and those who make their goods at home and sell at the markets are not there anymore. I often think about how in the world they can cope? Is the hope completely gone from their lives or are they optimistic that one day normal will return?
The group of people I think have suffered perhaps most are the artists.
Just pause for a moment and think. The weddings are small, the singers are out of job, the concerts are postponed or cancelled. Many of my friends are artists and they struggle more than others.
I miss not being able to go to a concert and listen to beautiful live music. I miss not being able to travel around my little land and stop and talk to the people I see on the way. I miss the markets where the women brought their work and they sat there still knitting or sowing while we the customers admired their work and bought some to give or to use ourselves.
I miss not being able to go to my hairdresser and talk to all the other customers sitting there while our hair is done. Now there is just me and perhaps one more. Everything is cleaned and polished when I arrive and when I leave. The hairdressers are wearing masks, I am wearing a mask and the other customer is also wearing a mask. That’s how we do it in my little land.
We walk on the road and the masks are on. We don’t see peoples smiles anymore, except the eyes. The smiles from the eyes are beautiful and they warm our hearts.
The new year is around the corner.
The vaccine is in town.
The world is being saved by a vaccine, or is it?
The madman in the White House is leaving, but where is he going?
The minister of finance in Iceland broke the rules about the covid restrictions and he thinks it is just fine. His prime minister agrees. Nothing wrong with going to a party with 50 people or more even though there are rules in the land not to!
Some people are more important than others. We know that! But following the guidelines in a world pandemic that is killing people every day, not just few. Hundreds of people die every day because of the pandemic and it is the year 2020.
I am becoming more Portuguese every minute and I am grateful for that. I do get my pension from Iceland because I worked there most of my working life but if that was not my case, I would never look at the news from there. The corruption and the disgusting behaviour of those in power is making me angry and many others. The problem is that when there is an opportunity to change the votes go to the corruption and everything stays the same.
I hope my little land, my Portugal, will survive the pandemic and I hope that next year I will be able to visit my dear Portuguese friends and give them a big hug and kisses. That’s how normal is in my little land.
This is just my thought for today.
Tomorrow there is another day and other thoughts might appear.
Take care and stay safe, follow the guidelines and we may be back to NORMAL soon.
Hulda Björnsdóttir
My thoughts shared with you 