#2428 end of month wrap-up

 Let's start with the numbers, shall we? Here are the COVID19 stats for the month:

The number of cases globally grew by 7.6 million from July 31 to August 30. That's about half a million more new cases than in July, so the number is still growing.

The number of global deaths is up by 167K.  That's actually down a little from the number of deaths that happened in July (there were 169K deaths in July).

In the U.S. there are nearly 6.2 million cases, and that's up nearly 1.5 million for the month of August. That's a decrease over the number of cases in July, when there was almost 2 million new cases.

The death toll in the U.S. is around 187K and the August death count is around 30K. That's about 4,000 more people that died in August than July.

In my state, Utah, there are nearly 52K cases, up 11,658 in August. 103 people died from the virus in August, which is less than died in July.

In Salt Lake County, there were 4,686 new cases in August which is down a lot from new cases in July, around 3,000 less. 55 people died from the virus in Salt Lake County in August, which is 13 less than died in July.

My assessment: even though the virus continues to grow and spread, it seems to be slowing down a bit. Keep washing your hands and wearing your masks. Stay home when you can. 

I've been emotional about the death of Chadwick Boseman. Yesterday I was sitting in the Petsmart parking lot, looking at tributes to the actor on Twitter and just crying my eyes out. Then I saw a tweet by the poet and author Saeed Jones that made so much sense to me. Jones wrote,"...grieving  beloved celebrities is often a pressure release valve for interpersonal mourning we've denied ourselves."

I thought about how I'm feeling right now and you know, I'm sad. I'm down. I miss my mom and my sister. I miss going to concerts and looking at flowers. I miss sitting in a cool, dark movie theater with a bag of buttery popcorn and an icy Diet Coke. I'm tired of feeling angry at people who don't wear a mask at the grocery store. I don't like feeling jealous of people who go on vacation and who get to hug their mom and siblings. I am sick about the racial injustice and violence and I'm tired of the political rhetoric on both sides. I have a feeling that no matter the outcome of the election in November, nothing will change. The divide is too wide. I feel stressed about work and worried about T's future. 

It's a lot. It kinda makes sense that I would cry in the Petsmart parking lot over Chadwick's death. It was my pressure relief valve. 

This morning Mac let me sleep in a little, then we immediately went for a walk at the park. When I got home, I made some French toast and bacon for breakfast. After the meal, I went upstairs to get something, but ended up laying on my bed where I promptly fell asleep for about four hours. I didn't expect to sleep that long, but I guess I needed it. I felt kinda groggy when I woke up around 2:00, but I pulled it together enough to get to the grocery store at least. 

I wish I could tell you that I have stuff I'm looking forward to in September, but I don't. I was looking at my calendar yesterday. I've got a haircut appointment and a doctor appointment. Woo. 

Don't get me wrong...there are good things that happen daily. I get enjoyment from Mac the dog. She is developing quite the personality and keeps me on my toes. I like taking her for daily walks. It's the most active I have been for awhile. MT and I are getting along well. T is doing okay and sometimes he's even pretty funny. I remind myself throughout the day to stop and be thankful for whatever is in front of me. I try to stay positive and think about how sweet it will be when I see Mom and Lizzie again in person again. I tell myself I won't take for granted the things I used to do so naturally, like roaming around Old Navy or getting a pedicure. 

Sigh...okay. I'm done. It will be okay. Take care of yourselves. Remember that you don't know what another person is going through, so be kind to the people you encounter. And like I said before, keep washing your hands and wearing your masks.