Hello 2022!
Happy 2022!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I’m writing this on Monday, January 17, MLK Day. I haven’t been inspired to write much lately so I figured that my first blog post of 2022 should be a brief synopsis of what’s going on currently in my life.
Reflecting on 2021
2021 had its ups and downs, like any year but it wasn’t particularly bad…until the week or so before Christmas. Things were seemingly returning to normal as far as pre-pandemic life is concerned. We vaccinated and hopped on a plane to Greece in the summer. That was my first trip abroad since 2018 or 2019. It was amazing.
I started having shoulder issues in the spring and landed myself in physical therapy around June for what I now know is called Frozen Shoulder or Adhesive Capsulitis. It just wasn’t getting better so my doctor and physical therapist recommended that I have surgery. I was so ready to regain a full range of motion and saw it as an opportunity to get the holidays off from work so I agreed. I usually take most of December off from flying anyway. I was very much looking forward to having somewhat of a normal Christmas with family flying in for the first time since 2019. Surgery went well so my only focus was on aggressive physical therapy and enjoying the holiday season.
Fast forward to around December 19th or 20th. My fiance, Philip, develops a nagging cough at the same time that I’m reading about this new Covid variant called Omicron. I’d had plans on all of us getting tested before my aunt with pre-existing conditions arrived to spend a week with us. I suggested that Philip get tested immediately due to his persistent cough. Sure enough, he tested positive. And just like that, Christmas is CANCELED.
We don’t know where he got it. Thankfully, I tested negative but either way, my aunt canceled her trip and my son had to stay at his dad’s house for the holiday. The only place I went was to physical therapy. I wasn’t supposed to be driving so soon after the surgery but I had to put my big girl panties on and press on. All the gains I’d achieved via surgery were in danger of being lost if I’d skipped therapy. Basically my Christmas was spent in quarantine.
Fast Forward to Today - 1/17/2022
We don’t know if Philip had the Delta or Omicron variant but thankfully, it was a mild case. He’s fine. It's been a month since my surgery and I’m still not back to normal. I’ve regained some range of motion that was lost to me pre-surgery but I still can’t raise my arm over my head which is necessary for getting my bag in the overhead bins on the aircraft. I haven’t worked in several weeks so I’ve been recording Instagram Reels and Tiktoks about flight attendant life. Check them out @SoniaStayFly. I’m in hibernation mode trying to avoid Omicron so basically I just go to physical therapy and the gym with the occasional stop at the grocery store. I’m working on being more consistent across all of my social media platforms while I work on getting my full range of motion back. I miss flying but honestly I’m happy to be off the airplane while this Covid variant is kicking a$$ and taking prisoners.
Martin Luther King Day
As an Atlanta resident, I think I take the memory of Dr. King for granted. I visited the MLK Center as a child on an earlier visit to Atlanta; long before I ever had a thought about moving here. That visit had a profound effect on me. It was as if I felt his spirit as I stood across from the reflecting pool that housed his tomb. Now, as a resident, I drive past it virtually every day. It’s like he’s my neighbor.
One of the first stops I made when I had a long Memphis layover was to the Lorraine Motel which has now become the National Civil Rights Museum. I highly recommend going if you ever find yourself in Memphis, Tennessee. The exhibit changes; however what remains constant is that you’re able to view the rooms Dr. King and his associates stayed in as well as the balcony where he was killed. You’re also able to go across the street to see the window where the shots came from. I highly recommend giving yourself several hours there to take it all in. I’ve been twice now and still don’t feel like I’ve truly seen all of it.
I think that we should take MLK Day as an opportunity to look back on the past in order to reflect on how far we’ve come. It reminds me personally that I am still a work in progress, much like we are as a country. I’m focusing not on things that I can’t change in my past but on making incremental changes in my life to make myself a better person; taking things day by day. You could say that it’s a New Year’s resolution or a dream but no matter what it's called, I’m willing to do the work to achieve my goals.