The State of the Soon

[soon_lee]

Where do I start?

To say the last several years has been challenging would be an understatement. The TL;DR is that alongside the challenge of COVID times, my wife Fern died from cancer and I got a new job.

Comments

[amaebi]

Thank you for letting us hear from you! I'm so sorry for your hard news, though-- and though I had gathered from brief mentions you made on other media.

Is it very strange, that new stability? Reassuring?

And are you still eating exquisite food, now that things are open again?

[soon_lee]

Thank you.

The new more stable work situation does help as I try to work out what life means without Fern.

I'm still cooking & enjoying delicious food. Not eating out as much partly because I got out of the habit, first because of COVID, then with Fern's failing health. And now it's not as much fun eating out alone, though I still do. There is no lack of good food in my life.

[msconduct]

I'm so sorry to hear about Fern. It must have been even more difficult because of the lockdowns and waiting lists (I won't say "during the pandemic" since it's still raging). My best friend of many years died of cancer (fuck cancer) in March 2020 and the single upside is that I knew she wouldn't have to worry about trying to get treatment in the middle of all that.

Finding a permanent job sounds like a good idea. Grief rips the feet out from under you and knowing where and who you are after a huge loss is hard. Stability is a good counterweight to that.

[soon_lee]

Thank you.

[quirkytizzy]

I'm so sorry about your wife - I know that grief like that can be adjusted to, but it never goes away. And I'm glad you were able to find structure in loss through your job. I've clung onto my job through my declining health for much the same reason.

Everything Everywhwere All At Once was a motherfucking REVALATION, wasn't it <3

(Also I followed you on Instagram. I basically just use it to look at nail art, but you are someone I'd like to see in my feed.)

[quirkytizzy]

I forgot, I'm "Missme_withyour_kidney" on Instagram

[soon_lee]

Thank you. Your recent post inspired me to post this.

Have sent you a follow back request on Insta.

(Yeah, EEAAO is amazing on multiple levels. The appreciation I wrote touches on some aspects that made it great for me but there's more I didn't cover. I also think that the extra time they got because of COVID lockdown really helped to make it better. So I guess that's one small silver lining of the pandemic...)

[khiemtran]

So sorry to hear it! Take care!

[mmarques]

I’m so sorry for your loss. I haven’t been on LJ for years and was thinking of deleting my account. However, I got an email that you posted.

[soon_lee]

Thank you.

Amusingly the whole thing that caused me to post this entry was me getting an email that someone I follow posted after a long break...