Moments of gratitude in Panama

by Janet Sussman

As house sitters we are nothing if not adaptable, but this pandemic has really been one great big SAT Test! "Sanity Altering Tribulation".

I've been blessed with not one, but several offers in the midst of all this and ended up with the quarantine jackpot - absolute paradise in Panama, my home for eight years now. Other than not being able to visit my kids in Florida, (and although it has been an adjustment), I don't think I could have asked for a better place to stay put.

What's it been like in Panama?

At the time of writing this I can only leave the house 2 hours per day, 3 days per week, alternating for men and women on different days. On Sundays everyone stays in. Alcohol is not for sale. Only essential businesses are open and restaurants offer delivery only.

A hotline and online Q & A chat were set up early on. The government put a moratorium on all mortgages, loans, and credit cards for 3 months; no evictions if rent cannot be paid.

There are severe consequences for violating quarantine. Masks are mandatory. Everyone can be tested and treated who exhibits symptoms, first come first serve and not by ability to pay for private care over public healthcare.

Bags of food are being distributed for the poor, even in the most remote areas of the country where there are many indigenous people. The police are not only arresting violators and manning checkpoints. They have also organized groups who go to different neighborhoods and sing and sometimes dance in the streets, with the aim of lifting everyone's spirits. The people sing along, waving flags, and dance on their balconies.

Since there is no separation of church and state here, for "Semana Santa" they filled the streets with hymns and prayers as a priest rode through with a police escort.

These people are survivors and this is not their first time of experiencing severe struggles. So for me it is a lesson in "looking on the bright side" even when there doesn't seem to be one. When you look around at a country already full of many, many poor people who in spite of it all, are helping each other.

They put another cup of water in the soup so their neighbor can eat, and they STILL find ways to raise a smile and dance. Maybe not… "in the street until the sun comes up", but certainly as if they know they soon will.

Keeping myself busy

I have time now to attack some of those always-wanted-to-do-lists like writing, organizing all the junk I have accumulated on my computers, or the papers that I still seem to need to stockpile as some sort of antiquated security blanket. I have even gone back to cooking... a little!

I exercise regularly to keep my mind and body in as much in shape as possible. I "participate" in my walks these days, not just the left, right, left of it, but in my surroundings.

I am more aware.

Besides my morning walk around the golf course where I see more jungle animals than people, Instagram live exercise and dance classes are available several times a day and are free. I watch my Youtube five minute crafts that I rarely actually attempt! I am beyond caught up on Netflix along with many other quarantine-ees.

My biggest obstacle is trying not to watch too much news, especially from the USA.

What are my takeaways from all this so far?

Connection to family and friends at a time like this is invaluable. There will be times when you are down and feel it will never end, or even feel suppressed by all of the seemingly pointless restrictions. To have someone to reach out to, or to be the recipient, for whatever reason, is hope alive and working overtime in our favor.

Not all of us are going through the same stage at the same time.

This has affected the entire world! However, this virus has swept across different continents in different scenarios at different times. The psychology and reality of it varies for all of us.

For the most part, I am happy and hopeful and, having been an only child, am actually enjoying the solitude. I pray for those who are not, who are hungry, stressed over finances, sick, worried about being sick, losing loved ones, worried about losing loved ones, working to save others while worrying about their own problems, and more. This is one insane time!

Be patient! Be patient with others but especially be patient with yourself. Allow yourself to feel but don't let feelings take control.

Things that were important are no longer important for me. Things in general, eating out, and socializing – they've all taken on a whole new look. What I find important enough to give power to has changed.

Things I once took for granted might now be difficult, or even impossible! I am not much for going to the doctor, but I have now had two semi-emergencies where I might have considered a consultation. Instead I resorted to the old grandma (or in this case, Panamanian) treatments… and I'm just fine.

I can't mail my absentee ballot application because there simply is no mail (or anything else for that matter) going out of Panama.

What about the "normal" that is still going on?

Sunrises and sunsets, nature and its cycle of death and rebirth, animals going about their routines as usual, animals venturing out and taking back some of nature, rain, rust, mold and mildew, dust, the breeze, summer turning to fall, hair and nails growing, uncut in many cases, and facing the inevitable emergence of going grey (and owning it!). All of these things go on uninterrupted.

This has been a time of so many mixed emotions. It's up to each of us to find our own version of normal during these times so Covid doesn't destroy our lives. We need to discover a way to ride this out and rebuild our lives with the newfound appreciation of what we had, and not just what we wanted.

Being grateful

Despite all that is transpiring around me, my days are full and my blessings are many. A daily routine for quite some time has been to send up my "gratefuls" at the start of the day. This positive start really helps set the mood for the day ahead. It can be the smallest of things, like a sunrise picture, or all those things that go on undisturbed in spite of the current chaos. Recently, these things have really moved up my "gratefuls" ladder.

"Gratefuls" can also be huge things like my life here in Panama. Getting to visit my kids and grandkids just as often as I had before this virus took hold. My retirement and the ability it gives me to live simply yet comfortably, unlike many people around the world right now. Or, that I have not caught the virus, and am still healthy.

I am grateful for all the experiences that house sitting has given me. I've been able to travel to places I might otherwise have never come to known, where I've met new people, made lifelong friends, been immersed in other cultures and received unconditional love from all those little fur babies.

Or, a "grateful" can be simply that I had a good day yesterday, whatever that looks like.

Everyone please stay safe, sane, and happy wherever you are.

Janet Sussman is a semi-retired teacher from Florida who wants to “travel until she can’t anymore!” On moving to Panama she discovered house sitting and now calls herself the “Panagringa Wanderlusting Linguist”.

Having created an online language program, she works with a team whose aim it is to make Panama officially bilingual. She also volunteers, teaching underprivileged kids English and life skills.

In between work and house sits she enjoys trips back to see her own family and 3 grandkids in the USA.