Living La Vida Loca

Well, it started out pretty well…

2020 started out pretty darned well. With all three kids now living in Los Angeles, Mom and Dad settled in a lovely independent living community sandwiched between us and brother Noah and his family, and our company doing very well and growing fast, there was not a whole lot to complain about. We spent New Years in Mariposa (just outside Yosemite) with Aunt Maddie and Uncle Elliott at their cabin home in the woods. It was a relaxed and beautiful escape and it was an opportunity to spend some precious quality time just the four of us.

Eitan’s New Look and Becoming a Music Mover and Shaker

Our youngest, Eitan, has been pursuing a career in the music business as a music artist manager and is now living in Los Angeles to be in one of the centers of gravity for the kind of music his artists perform – best described as a meld of rap and pop with one artist straddling into the Spanish market. We’ve been fairly awestruck by Eitan’s ability to network into what is generally thought of as a very difficult industry to break into – even on the management side. A very tenacious guy, Eitan manages a duo called The Image (here’s an example of their music and video work) and a Cuban performer named Prznt and keeps very busy helping build their careers. A big change for Eitan this year was a new look that makes the best possible use of the hairline he inherited from Andrew – I personally think he looks “dope”!

Precious time with Ava

Before the pandemic really got heated up and lockdowns started in earnest, Andrew and I got great joy out of becoming grandparents. It was a reality check for me about actually being old enough to be called “Bubbe” but it grew on me pretty quickly as Ava shared her smile, her inquisitiveness, and her loving disposition with us. We so hope these kinds of days at the park, chasing ducks, reading books together, and having tickle fights become plentiful as the world safely opens again.

An Escape to Thrive

Part of the work that I do is as a patient/care partner advocate. A highlight very early in the year was being selected to attend a retreat at a spa called Miraval in Arizona that brought together a few dozen local, regional and national advocates to share ideas, learn from each other, and have some amazing “self-care” time. I met some incredible people who are devoted to supporting patients dealing with serious illness (and many who are survivors themselves) and I’m now devoting some time to help plan the next retreat.

Busy February with Family and Friends – before the Lockdown

2020 was a real turning point for our exercise routines – driven by running becoming a bit harsh on the ol’ bones, then yoga studios and gyms closing down for the pandemic, and Andrew developing a love for biking. We’d done an awesome bike tour in New Zealand in 2019 and as options became more limited, we opted to do inside exercise to an Australian couple’s videos at The Body Project and amp up our biking excursions. I bought a great gently used road bike from a friend who didn’t love the handle bars, we got ourselves outfitted with appropriate gear, and found some equally sequestering couples who we could safely ride with. The couple below were visiting before the pandemic became a reality – hence proximity and no masks. We met Larry and Jane in New Zealand on the bike trip and it turned out they come to San Diego area every February to escape cold Boston area winters. We are very sad they won’t be out here in 2021 for obvious reasons.

Dad/Marty has been studying and perfecting his magician skills for many years now and he’s become quite proficient. Early in the year, before the group activities at the retirement community he and Mom live in closed down, he started a magic club to both entertain and teach residents in the community. It really was a wonderful project for him and the residents loved it. With everyone sequestered for the time being, Dad is working out Zoom logistics to try to deliver his magic.

One other milestone event got squeezed in before the world shut down – a Bachelor Party for Simon. From what we heard from Eitan and pictures we saw (no doubt we didn’t see everything that went on…) it looked like it was a time for bonding between future brother-in-laws and a very relaxing celebration of the wedding vows to come. Ruthie will get her day in the sun too! Already plotting.

March Madness: Cheering the Fastest Jew…then Scramble to Lockdown

We were very fortunate to get to attend the Los Angeles marathon just shy of the global realization that we were in fact heading into lockdown mode. Ari has been nicknamed the “Worlds fastest Jew” – not sure that’s accurate but he IS very, very fast! He has the amazing ability to run an entire marathon at about the same pace (hovering around a 5:30/mi) – I am tired just thinking about it. He is truly a delight to watch and we are a dedicated cheering section!

When Zoom and YouTube Became Mainstream

As March unfolded, the world shut down in fear of the spread of Covid-19. There was so little information early on about what we as individuals needed to do…wear a mask or not? Wash our groceries with bleach water before bringing it into the house? Lock ourselves inside or just stay 10 feet apart outside? There really was a massive confusion during the early time of the pandemic as to the right behaviors and essentially how to cope. In the world of cancer education that Andrew and I live in, the concerns were manifold: How do I get my IV medications if I can’t go into the clinic? What do I do if my medications run out and I am afraid to go to the pharmacy? What do I do if I am at even greater risk and one of my family members gets the virus?

As a family, we made the decision to listen very carefully to the scientists and researchers and take a relatively conservative approach. I began to hand sew masks (I eventually bought a sewing machine and revived sewing skills, making everything BUT masks – many others filled that gap) and we all wore them outside; we created what has come to be called our “family bubble” and have maintained that approach to this day…we have been able to bring a few dear friends and close family into the fold when we are are all assured of similar care being taken to minimize exposures; and we have continued to limit – in fact further limit forays out of the house to get household essentials (we are using grocery delivery services and take out food options here and there). Andrew and I do bike and walk outside together with masks and distancing from others, and we have our favorite indoor workouts to videos and with Eitan when he is here.

The very hardest part of all of this is the fragmenting of family that has happened. We have not been able to visit with Ari and family for many months as they are understandably keeping their nearby “bubble” small. We have not gotten together with Ruthie and Simon except at outside and very distanced short visits especially since Simon has to be in a hospital environment every day. And as the pandemic got worse and worse, the distancing has of necessity become a critical need.

But – Zoom to the rescue! While it’s not optimal…it’s not the same a getting or giving a big ol’ bear hug – but we have been regularly Zooming with family and friends and that has helped a lot. Early on, we conducted a weekly Sunday night family session that brought us all together for an hour to jawbone about this and that. Once all generations got the hang of this technology and Face Time, we disbanded the weekly event and moved to many round robins of calls and check ins that continue to this day.

Staying Connected…and Disconnecting

One of the hardest parts of the pandemic lockdown has been the inability to visit with Mom and Dad aa=s closely and as often as we’d like. They are living in a lovely retirement community that – as all others – has had to deal with the restrictions needed to keep everyone healthy. The early solution to provide at least some “face time” was to allocate a few vacant units to be used by residents by appointment and family members could come by and sit distanced on the sidewalk and chat. This did work quite well for many months but as the need to further restrict exposures the visitations morphed over to long tables outside the front door of the main building and masked visitors and residents could chat across very long tables. Thankfully my brother and his family are able to come by and visit regularly and we do as well.

Andrew and Ari were able to spend some father-son time together on Father’s Day by meeting for a bike ride looking like two masked marauders. Getting out in the fresh air seems to be a very wonderful benefit in living where we all do – and we are grateful that our winter will continue to allow us this luxury.

Eitan also had the chance to get a change of scenery mid-year by getting out of LA and into the desert with one close friend who had been quarantining as well.

Living in Lockdown and Making the Best of It

I started to sew again – after meager attempts at hand-sewing masks, I bought a real sewing machine! I’d learned to sew in my pre-teen years (when dinosaurs walked the earth…) but it came back to me and while masks were already being well-sewn by companies set up for it, I tried my hand at fluffy pillows for the dog members of the family, table runners and table clothes, and seat cushions to outfit Ruthie and Simon’s new little patio chairs. A skill revisited.

Wearing mask correctly became a real “thing” as (some) people came to understand the value of doing so…here is our dear Feta illustrating the wrong and right way to don the newest fashion statement.

She said YES! to the Dress….

An incredible highlight of July was getting to help Ruthie select a wedding dress. While the wedding is now postponed until mid-2022, she said yes to the dress (sorry, no previews!) and it will be so amazing to see her in it.

Love at a Distance

Summer was a good time to at least try some socially distant, small family gatherings – Uncle Noah and Aunt Dalia have the best backyard to accommodate the inner sanctum of our “bubble”…

Thank goodness for Home Exchange. Northern California escape…

Pre-pandemic, Andrew and I had become frequent users of Home Exchange – a service that facilitates exchanges of homes between members at no cost other than a minimal membership fee. We have done these internationally and this year we have done a few that are within driving distance so we simply got a change of scenery and could do it safely. One of these trips was to Northern California outside of San Francisco to a home on top of a hill in a quiet neighborhood where we could work, relax and do a few biking adventures. Simultaneously, the family who owned that house stayed in our home and enjoyed the nearby beach. Our paths never crossed but we have new friends.

Fall Brings Wanderlust – A Safely Crafted Trip to St. George and Natural Wonders

Going a tad stir crazy come the Fall, we were able to do another exchange in Utah, to an incredible home with a pool and hot tub and very very few people who were full-time residents of the development – so worrying about keeping distance was basically non-existent. Fortunately, both Simon and Ruthie and our friends Randy and Shellie Oakley had been safely quarantining and testing along the way so they could come at different times to stay with us and enjoy a bit of chillaxing time with us. We celebrated Andrew’s 70th birthday there too! Some highlights included a hike through The Narrows in Zion National Park and biking and hiking through Snow Canyon. Natures wonders never cease.

October Celebration – Ava Turns Two!

Hard to believe but Ava turned two in October and we were so grateful to be able arrange some in person time with her and her parents. It’s gotten more difficult to do this as the LA area and Southern California has taken the big brunt of Covid cases, but we are looking forward to more of this fun and games as vaccinations take hold and life gets back to some measure of normalcy.

History Changes Course

Of course, amidst all the horrendous pandemic fallout, the end of this year did bring a ray of hope to all of us. I am sad that there is so much strife surrounding this historic and needed change in leadership – I just pray that there can be a coming together and healing of the seismic divide that touches all of us.

Durango Escape and a Business Turning Point

One of the last home exchanges of 2020 for us was to Durango, Colorado, to a semi-rural farmhouse that gave us peace and quiet and uninterrupted time to wade through and manage a huge milestone in our business life…Patient Power has been acquired by Remedy Health Media, a larger conglomerate of health education websites with a fully aligned mission to put patients first. The acquisition process was quite stressful, what with some much accounting/financial, human resource, legal and procedural reconciliation – but we got through it and are very, very pleased to join Remedy’s leadership team to help grow Patient Power as well as their other properties with the additional resources and expertise they have.

We did have quite an adventure getting home from Durango. While I was driving on a desolate highway I could not safely swerve out of the way of a large metal who-knows-what in my lane. We blew not only the front tire but the metal rim as well…and the saga of getting towed and repaired is best told over a glass of wine! But we made it, and it gives us a great story to tell (Just ask).

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving was as fractured as the rest of the year, but we all made it work with good food and good cheer. Ruthie and Simon were able to secure the use of the backyard of dear friends who would be away and we had a small but wonderful outdoor feast just the four of us (plus Donovan and Feta). It got a little cold in the evening but it was worth it. The rest of the family splintered for coverage in small groups and we used Zoom to share cheer like so many families did.

Final Escape of 2020: La Quinta

Our last 2020 exchange was to La Quinta near Palm Springs. It was very easy and very close – and very calm without tons of people around. The resort where the condo we stayed in was virtually empty as most people use this resort as a second home or vacation getaway. We felt very safe and had a chance to both work and explore the desert landscape.

End of Year Sentiments: Looking Back, Looking Forward

I don’t need to tell anyone reading this that the end of 2020 was loads worse than the beginning. I was counting the days until we could turn the page on so many things – and some of them have overflowed into 2021 but with a good smattering of hope in the mix. I feel incredibly blessed that, so far, family and good friends have overall stayed healthy, and that research has produced vaccines and more medications to turn the pandemic around – it will just take time and patience. I also believe that over time and with a new administration our country can begin to heal the terrible divisiveness that had festered and then exploded in the last few years. That, too, will take time and incredible patience and compassion by all. Tall order but I am hopeful.

I wish all a happier and healthier New Year!

Esther