Lifestyle Kuel Life Contributor: Dolly Hertz
I originally wrote this article after two weeks of the shutdown, feeling amazed that I had survived 14 days away from my busy life.
Now, seven weeks in, it seems that most of us alternate between being adjusted to the new normal and aching to get back to our lives.
Busy Normal Life:
My busy normal life is almost forgotten, and I do long to have it back. Consummating real estate deals in Manhattan, the luxury of meeting new and fascinating people, dinners with friends.
The surprise blessing during this time, though, has been having my daughter and family staying with me. I’ve gone from seeing my grandson once a week, to a full-time relationship in which we have gotten to know each other. I love to sing with him and make him giggle. I love mealtimes and bedtimes and hugging him close. Very much the way I lived as a child, with my immigrant family all together under one roof.
“I’m grateful for this time together.”
Gratitude For Time Spent:
Grateful to be of service with meals, laundry, dishes. Grateful not to be idle even though my industry is on pause.
This uncertain time is not happening just to ME, I know that. Yes, we’re all in this together, and yet, as a single woman, I do feel the loneliness more than usual. With few distractions – no work, friends, travel — I am very aware of my relatively recent single status, after a lifetime of being in long-term relationships. Love in the pandemic is a tough nut to crack.
Irony Doesn’t Go Unnoticed:
The comedic aspect of this is not lost on me. The online dating apps continue as before, with the identical outcomes – a flurry of interest, some conversations, FaceTime even, and then it’s over before it’s begun. Corona shutdown hasn’t affected singles’ behavior. The funny thing is, it appears that hope springs eternal. For every time I vow to stop engaging online, I end up trying again. The trick here, I think, is not to have any expectations about results.
Maybe that’s the overarching takeaway for now— if I allow fear about the future to overtake me, I will have lost faith and hope. Do I think the world will right itself again? Of course, I do. Will I continue to do MY footwork every day, for my family, for my clients, for my obligations? Of course, I will. Will I meet the man of my dreams again? You know what they say — you gotta be in it to win it! I still believe in love in the pandemic to be possible.
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About the Author:
Dolly Hertz is a real estate broker in NYC, an empty-nester, a mom and a grandma. She is a single woman of a certain age, trying to live her best life humbly and authentically. Her greatest pleasure is to be of service wherever possible. You can follow Dolly on Instagram; connect with her on LinkedIn and check-out her real estate website Engel & Volkers
