Doodling: A Unique Approach to Grief Healing and Hope by Harriet Hodgson
Articles
The Covid-19 pandemic created layers of grief for us all. We grieve for those who tested positive for the virus. We grieve for family members and friends who contracted it. We grieve for the thousands who died. We grieve for the disruptions to our lives—disruptions that may be permanent. If you tested positive for the virus you were quarantined. This happened to me. I live in a retirement community, 150 residents who are vulnerable. Administration asked us to stay in our apartments, not walk the halls, wear masks if we left our apartments, wash hands often, limit two to an elevator, and practice social distancing. Because I had been hospitalized for
cellulitis, which can be fatal, I was quarantined for two weeks. After testing positive for Covid-19 I was quarantined for two more weeks. Thankfully, I never developed any symptoms. But a month’s quarantine was in addition to months of selfquarantine. As a freelancer for 43 years, I was used to working at home and being my own boss. This was normal for me. Some residents of the high-rise felt lonely and depressed. “Staying in my apartment is driving me crazy,” a neighbor commented. She wondered if I was going crazy too. I told her I was writing like crazy. At the time, I was my disabled husband’s caregiver. He was dying
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