Did you know that one third of us live alone? I mean, totally by yourself. No partner, child, parent, or friend. Many singles have been seeing other people during this pandemic, on a very limited basis. And they may visit with those select few on Thanksgiving Day. But many seniors will be Home Alone on Thanksgiving. That includes my husband and me.
It’s not the first time for either of us to be away from family on Thanksgiving. My husband is a Korean War Vet, and understood that being home for the Holidays wasn’t going to happen while he was in service.. When I graduated college and had my first job in Chicago, employers weren’t very forgiving. We were expected to work the day before and after Thanksgiving Thursday. My room mates were in the same boat and we made the best of it. We cooked a turkey and invited friends over. It felt rather sad, but sort of fun to escape all the family melodrama. Fortunately, my sister and her brood lived near my parents, so I didn’t have to feel guilty about not making it home.
But that was all a long time ago. We were young and resilient. It’s a different story when you’re over eighty. The holidays have always been a time of joy; seeing children and grandchildren and sitting down to dinner together. Now, along came Covid-19. Back in March, we didn’t dream we would be isolated in the fall. But it’s gotten worse instead of better. We won’t even be with my husband’s children, who live right here in town.
We thought about getting some carry-out food. And our sons offered to bring us plates of dinner. But for some reason or other, I decided I wanted our house to smell of turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie. That will make me feel like I’m not missing out on absolutely everything.