It was 2:45 AM on Thursday, March 12.
(Is it even possible that, as I am writing this, it was just four weeks ago? The world is a different place.)
Rick was sound asleep in our daughter Allison’s guest room in Oslo, Norway.
But I was wide awake beside him. We had arrived a day and a half before, and my body was still five-hours-ago.
I had forgotten my nightly ritual of mentally listing 30 gratitudes. I usually fall asleep around #23.
Okay, I thought, thirty things for which I’m grateful. That would be very easy:
1-We had a flight back in two weeks, two more weeks to cuddle my new granddaughter, Stella, and help her weary parents, Allison and Henrik.
2-I had carried my grandmother’s silver service, a hand-painted picture of Fiona, four half- empty bottles of hand sanitizer, and 1000 Splenda packets to Allison, and nothing had broken or exploded or confiscated in Customs.
3- I had vacuumed my daughter’s apartment and was going to make good on my promise to mop tomorrow.
4-I had baked cheesecake for Allison and Henrik’s birthdays, measuring with milliliters and grams instead of teaspoons and ounces, using cream cheese and sour cream that seemed slightly different from the American versions. It was browned to perfection with nary a crack—I just had to ice it tomorrow day.
5-I had been eating my son-in-law Henrik’s delectable cooking for 36 hours, and I still fit in my pants.
6-I had learned how to operate my daughter’s espresso machine.
7-I had Facetimed and emailed and texted and messaged my daughter, Stacey, her husband, and their baby, Danielle back in Cincinnati. Isn’t technology grand?
And just like that, as soon as technology crossed my mind, my meditative practice screeched to a halt. I grabbed my phone and my glasses and propped up on an elbow, my body blocking the bright screen from my slumbering husband.
I was alarmed to see that I had 29 texts. One after another conveyed alarm.
“You’re going to get stuck in Norway for thirty days!”
“Did you read about the travel ban because of the virus?!”
“Did you hear the President’s speech?
I did a quick Google search and was shocked by the headlines:
Cornavirus: Trump suspends all travel from Europe for 30 days
This part of the President’s speech was repeatedly quoted:
“To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight.”
My Cincinnati daughter, Stacey, texted, “Wake up Dad and get a flight home NOW!”
While Allison and Henrik and Baby Stella slumbered, Rick and I poured over the reports. How could the world have changed so fast?
What if we were stranded in Norway indefinitely? Our American retirement dollars wouldn’t last as long in Norway, and our Medicare wasn’t valid outside the U.S. We had bills to pay back home, family that might need us.
At 3:30 AM, Rick was able to book a flight back home for 9:25 that morning. He didn’t tell me how much it cost, and I didn’t ask.
We stripped the bed, took our showers, and packed. We decided to wait until 5:00 to wake up Henrik and Allison. I checked my beautiful cheesecake, which had not cracked while cooling. I considered icing it, or mopping the floor as I promised, but instead I stood over Stella’s crib and watched her sleep. How long before I would hold this baby again?
At 5:00 AM, we knocked on Henrik and Allison’s bedroom door. Henrik was sleeping the deep sleep of a Viking, but Allison came stumbling out. Her sleepy head struggled to wrap around the news. She hit the computer and found the same headlines we did. She shook Henrik awake to call a taxi for us.
While we explained to Henrik what was happening, Allison got online and did more research. She discovered something that had not made the headlines: that Americans would be allowed to return with “screening.” Nowhere could we find out what the screening entailed.
Then we questioned our decision. Should we cancel the flight?
Our two daughters were the voices of reason: first Stacey, texting from Cincinnati, urging us to get out of Dodge; then Allison who said, “We have Gunnar and May-Sissel (Henrik’s parents) if we need help. You need to be home for Nathan Stacey, and Danielle.”
We arrived at the airport at 6:30 AM for our 9:30 flight. The airport seemed completely normal. Nobody was frantic. In the American Express lounge, they had a buffet breakfast, for heaven’s sake. People were calmly scooping up herring and pate and slicing off hunks of brown cheese. Was there really a pandemic?
As we waited to board, we debated our decision.
“Rick, are we abandoning Allison and Henrik? Should we wait and see how this thing shakes out?”
“No. We need to leave.”
There was a long pause, and then he said, “Maybe we shouldn’t have come.”
And there it was, something that was weighing on both of our minds. Had we been irresponsible coming to Norway?
What was the world like when we were preparing for this trip?
In late February, 28,000 people gathered for Bernie Sanders’ Texas rally and 13,000 gathered for President Trump’s South Carolina rally.
Allison had asked her pediatrician if it was safe for her parents to come for a visit. “Of course, they should come!” the doctor said.
The travel warnings had been about Iran and Italy and China. Exercise caution, all the websites said, and wash your hands. And some (all?) might have mentioned that old people (like us) were most at risk for complications of the coronavirus, but we were sure that was fake news.
I won’t say we used an overabundance of caution, but we had done our homework before deciding to come. And things had been so different just two days before.
The flight from Oslo to Amsterdam wasn’t packed, which surprised and reassured us. We did what we had done on the way over: used Clorox wipes to disinfect the seats, tray table, seatbelt buckles, phones, computers, and eyeglasses, and Purell to sanitize our chapped hands. In bounded a family of six, two young parents and four kids, ages two to eight. All except the baby rattled down the aisle with carryons, and we said that prayer all crabby travelers do: “Please don’t let them sit near us.” But they did, right in front of us. Nobody in this family was disinfecting anything.
There were seats to spare, so the three older kids each commandeered a row where they sat, except for when they didn’t. They were perfectly nice kids, doing what kids do, but I was appalled to see their casual touching of, well, everything.
I overheard the parents tell their story to the flight attendant. The family had been living in Oslo for about six months for the husband’s job as a professional hockey player. At about the same time I was reading 29 texts urging me to come home, they got a call saying they had to leave right away. They packed up the flotsam of four kids and managed to get on this flight.
That flight was uneventful, except for the kids eating cookies from the unwashed tray tables.
We just had time to run to our next flight, from Amsterdam to Minneapolis. We didn’t touch anything rushing to our plane, except for people. There were so many people flying to the U.S.
The plane was packed. I didn’t see a single empty seat. Rick and I had the middle seats in a row of four. We did our cleaning bit with our Clorox wipes and Purell and prayer. We offered wipes to the passengers sitting next to us. The guy next to me said, “No thanks, I’m good,” and he closed his eyes and fell immediately asleep. I didn’t notice that the flight attendants were taking any special precautions. For the nine hours of that heinous flight, there were always people lined up for the bathroom and scooching around each other to return to their seats.
We made our connection in Minneapolis and arrived in Cincinnati on time—about 80 hours after we had left. We had taken two international flights in four days.
That night, I listed my gratitudes as I lay in my own bed:
1-I read books to Stella.
2-I gave Stella a bath.
3-I rocked Stella to sleep.
4-I took her for a walk.
5-I kissed her juicy cheeks.
6-I witnessed her parents’ love for her and each other.
7-I saw that Henrik and Allison’s new house was already a home for their little family.
8-At least we had plenty of toilet paper at home.
And on it went . . . 30 reasons I was grateful that we had gone to Norway, even if we were there for just a day and a half.
Tonight, four weeks have passed since the night a virus chased us out of Norway. Here is what topped tonight’s list of 30 things that I am grateful for:
1-We still have plenty of toilet paper.
2-Nobody got sick as a result of our short trip to Norway.
3-Because Norway was prepared and proactive, they have flattened the curve and will begin lifting restrictions after Easter.
4-I am glad we went because it might be a very long time before we can return.
5-Rick has still not told me how much our 80-hour trip cost, and . . .
6-. . .it was worth every penny/kroner.
Related Posts
And look who was waiting for us in Cincinnati! Danielle!
My Daughter’s Love Affair With a Viking
Pro-Life Birth in Norway
Three Weddings: A Secret One, a Surprise One, and a Long-Awaited One
My Grandma Name: And the winner is . . .
Reading Babies’ Cries
Role Reversal on a Trip With Adult Kids
I could hardly catch my breath reading the series of events in your 80 hour journey! I can’t imagine living through it like you did with so much uncertainty and fear. I am glad you did have a short time with Stella, Allison and Henrik, but were still able to return home without any problems.
Kroners well spent! S-T-E-L-L-A. Felt the anxiety fade away with 30 reasons for gratitude. XXX
Thanks for telling your story (I accidentally typed “Stelling” initially!) Sandy. What a whirlwind but –yes– worth it. I cheer your resolve to be thankful and am totally with you in that. So thankful you were awake at that hour which led to your making it home uneventfully.
I love seeing your name pop up in my comments. I wonder what Ms. Ruskin would think about my writing. Thanks so much for reading and responding.
Thanks for reading and responding and letting me know what part of the blog resonated with you. So happy to know that a fellow writing is reading my work.
I knew about the ordeal. Very glad you and Rick and the whole damn fam are well. The babes are beautiful. Sad we won’t have our Oakdale reunion next month. ☹️
You are soon to be a grandmother, and then the weight of our ordeal will seem so much more, well, weighty. Can’t wait to hear when the baby comes. Thanks for reading and letting me know.
As always Sandy, your words worked to add a twist of entertainment to a real life situation. So glad this one had a happy ending.
Yes, it had a happy ending, in a global way . . . nobody got sick as a result of a (foolish?) decision to travel. But, oh, how I miss Stella, Henrik, and Allison. Thanks, as always, for reading and letting me know. I appreciate your support so much.
Thank you as always!
I so appreciate you letting me know you read and enjoyed my blog. Hope you and Larry are both well. Stay safe.
Love, love, love this. What you accomplished during the short time in Norway amazes me. I love your writing. Glad you made it home safe and sound.
I love seeing your name pop up in the comments. A compliment from a writer is especially welcome. Just bought your book and can’t wait to read it. Thanks for responding.
Sandy, I love your blog. I think I liked it too.
Hi, Susan. Thanks so much for helping connect your name with a fellow writer. I appreciate so much that you read my blog and that you let me know. Stella and Danielle will have plenty in print about their births and childhood.
What a memory you had. You cannot put a price on memories. Just, don’t ask.
After the flight over you did so much in a short time. Allison was very wise considering the unknown. I dread the long flights. Two with added stress and weight ( tea set not you) will be remembered. What we survive makes us stronger.
It is amazing the energy that you had as you rose to the occasion.
I really enjoyed this one. Thanks for taking the time to write and share. Pictures are always great. You might want to bind this one for Stella.
I think you are absolutely right: I DO believe this will make us all stronger, more resilient, more grateful. I thank you so much for reading and letting me know. Stay healthy and safe.
Wow Sandy
I was wondering about you since the last time I saw you at WWF@C you said you were going to travel.
Linda
Hello, Linda. Yeah, at least it made for some good writing material! Thanks for reading and letting me know. Hope you are healthy and safe.
Sandy, this is the best thing I’ve read since the quarantine began!! Even my book on Dolly Parton pales to your stories! So glad you went, so glad you got back home, so glad that you and your wonderful family are all well and safe!!
Wow! Never thought I could win a competition with Dolly Parton ever! What an incredible compliment. Thanks for reading and letting me know you enjoyed it. Maybe you could let me win at Scrabble every tenth time just as a little thanks.
Sandy, I always love your stories, but this one was especially great.Each word makes the story come alive in my imagination. I’m glad you & Rick are okay & that you have two adorable, precious granddaughters to love.
Thanks so much for reading and responding. Yes, we are fine. Neither of us has had a minute of illness. Allison had some days when she was very achy and had a headache–no coughing or fever, but still . . . The baby and Henrik are fine. Baby Danielle had a fever and runny nose, but not respiratory problems, and the doctor said (via teleconference) that it was “just a virus”—-WHAT?!? And then she clarified: “a cold.” Hope you are all well. Heck of a way to begin your retirement!
What an adventure. Beautiful grandchildren Sandy. Glad you are both well!
Thanks for reading and letting me know, Cathy. Hope you and all of your family are healthy. Been doing online writing classes which work surprisingly well. Wish you were in one. Maybe next term.
I will absolutely not complain that I have to FaceTime my granddaughters who live in Mt. Adams, a mere 10 miles from us. Your story amazes me.
I remind myself every day that if I am my family are healthy, I have nothing to complain about. My life during this pandemic is so easy compared with what so many are experiencing. I miss hugging my granddaughters, as I am sure you do. Be healthy and safe–it’s our only job.
Oh, Sandy, what a tale! And what a great storyteller you are.
Thank you for reading and for your kind comments. I am grateful for having this blog which inspires me to write these family memories. I became a grandma at a rather advanced age, so I know I will not be around with the granddaughters are adults. I am glad they will have these words for me. Stay healthy and safe.