When a decision is made to cancel an event or special occasion, it is simply disappointing. For months now the message “due to current circumstances, our event has been canceled” has popped up far too many times. The coronavirus is clearly having an impact on all aspects of everyone’s life. 
There are seven events — altered, rescheduled or canceled until further notice – that impacted me. In this column, I’m only focusing on four of them. First, when I started my road to recovery in February from stents being installed in my heart, my cardiologist ordered cardio rehabilitation classes three days a week. When the coronavirus started spreading, the classes were suspended temporarily. It was difficult to get an exercise routine in place and meet all my new dietary requirements.
Next, after my godfather died in March, it was the most frustrating experience for his daughter to travel from Honolulu to Wichita for the funeral. She had delays and almost was quarantined, which postponed her arrival and impacted the funeral arrangements. The virus limitations forced us to have a graveside service, allowing only 10 people to attend.
In May, my desires to celebrate my 68th birthday with a barbecue for family and friends were aborted. Instead, it was small fun times even wearing masks for about a week with my grandchildren and close friends. I bought my first pet: a red beta fish I named Faith. A little green frog, multicolored rocks and a starfish adorn the bottom of the fishbowl that Faith calls home.
Finally, my 50th East High School class reunion set for 2020 got rescheduled several times and finally canceled. What memories linger from the good old days working on the Messenger newspaper, playing my flute in the band to graduating in May 1970. That summer was my first time moving away from home to attend the University of Kansas and later transfer to Kansas State University, where I graduated. It was my hard work and decision to graduate in three years, so I could jumpstart my journalism career, get married and move to Norfolk, Virginia.
Changes, adjustments and more changes. Now, it’s staying optimistic with hopes for better days ahead. You learn to cope with it all, regardless of why original plans never flourished. You learn to knock down as many obstacles possible, then move on with your life.
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