DIARY
A new year like no other
vschneps@gmail.com
Who could imagine it
— a world where we
are frightened to see
our family, our friends and our
colleagues.
As if COVID-19 wasn’t bad
enough, now a new strain of
this deadly disease has invaded
our lives. And so many of us
are still waiting to receive the
coronavirus vaccine.
I thought about that on New
Year’s Eve, I was never much for
reveling on that night. It felt different
this year because COVID-
19 has caused overwhelming
fear when it comes to celebrating
with friends and family.
Assemblywoman Rebecca
Seawright, a dear friend of
mine, had just won her hardfought
reelection and at midnight
on New Year’s Eve, she was
being installed for her next twoyear
term in o ce. Marty and
Jean Sha ro , mutual friends of
ours, invited me to their home
to celebrate, and I almost went.
But fear got in the way! Or was
it smarts?
Sadly, my colleague at our
Dan’s Papers Southampton
o ce tested positive for COVID-
19 ve days a er we had spent
time together.
Fear ran through everyone
who saw her that day. I felt ne. I
had just gone with my daughter
Elizabeth and my darling grandkids
Addy and Jonah to dinner.
e restaurant we went to has a
tent with warm air blowing into
our seats and we felt safe as we
ate our dinner together.
But, as I drove home, I got the
call from my employee that she
had just heard from the hospital
where she was to have surgery
the next morning that her
COVID test came back positive.
Because of the positive test, she
could not have her long-planned
surgery.
With fear in my heart, I headed
immediately a er the car to a
GoHealth Urgent Care center
to see if I could get a rapid test to
put my kids and me at ease. But
they were closing and told me to
come by at 8 a.m. the next day.
In the morning, I made call
a er call to nd a testing place
that didn’t require me to wait in
line for hours. en I thought of
Bob Mittman, doctor extraordinaire
and my Bayside o ce
landlord. I remembered his
o ce was doing drive-through
Rebecca Seawright with Jay
Hershenson and their children
Bradley and Haley Hershenson.
COVID testing. With a fast call,
we arranged an appointment and
he conducted the test as I sat
inside my car.
en the waiting began. Being
the optimist I am, and the fact
that I was feeling well, I tried to
put it out of my mind and carry
on in quarantine. All my kids
were shivering with fear until I
nally got the news: the test was
negative!
Each day I feel grateful that I
missed “the bullet,” but being a
people person like I am means
there is a risk of exposure each
and every day.
My doctor friend reminds
me repeatedly to “wear a mask,
wash my hands regularly and
keep 6 feet apart when dining
with people indoors and outdoors.”
is is good advice that
we should all follow!
Victoria’s
Victoria
SCHNEPS
YUNIS
tweet me @vschneps
Assemblywoman
Rebecca Seawright
is sworn in for
another term.
Beauty covered up
One of the beautiful
things about the East
End of Long Island
are the hedges and massive
shrubs that surround the
beachfront homes.
e owers are gone now
and remarkably saw the once
proud greenery covered up
with sackcloth and transformed
into a “work of art.”
Ironically those covered
majestic trees have taken on a
new life and they are a thing of
wonder, too.
I get much pleasure looking
at the changed, yet beautiful
winter scenery. Be sure to take
a look around, as there is so
much beauty in nature!
An empty beach on a
sunny winter day.
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