after awhile database queries stop working when checking for people status

[7ooL]

2020-12-30 12:29:39,020-INFO house.py house register_watcher_event : Found:{arrive}{name}
2020-12-30 12:29:39,022-ERROR house.py house register_watcher_event : Unexpected error:Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/backends/utils.py", line 84, in _execute
return self.cursor.execute(sql, params)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py", line 73, in execute
return self.cursor.execute(query, args)
File "/home/ha/.local/lib/python3.7/site-packages/MySQLdb/cursors.py", line 206, in execute
res = self._query(query)
File "/home/ha/.local/lib/python3.7/site-packages/MySQLdb/cursors.py", line 319, in _query
db.query(q)
File "/home/ha/.local/lib/python3.7/site-packages/MySQLdb/connections.py", line 259, in query
_mysql.connection.query(self, query)
MySQLdb._exceptions.OperationalError: (2006, 'MySQL server has gone away')

The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/home/ha/web_home_auto/homeauto/house.py", line 118, in register_watcher_event
p = Person.objects.get(user__username=value)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/manager.py", line 85, in manager_method
return getattr(self.get_queryset(), name)(*args, **kwargs)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py", line 425, in get
num = len(clone)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py", line 269, in len
self._fetch_all()
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py", line 1303, in _fetch_all
self._result_cache = list(self._iterable_class(self))
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py", line 53, in iter
results = compiler.execute_sql(chunked_fetch=self.chunked_fetch, chunk_size=self.chunk_size)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/sql/compiler.py", line 1154, in execute_sql
cursor.execute(sql, params)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/backends/utils.py", line 98, in execute
return super().execute(sql, params)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/backends/utils.py", line 66, in execute
return self._execute_with_wrappers(sql, params, many=False, executor=self._execute)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/backends/utils.py", line 75, in _execute_with_wrappers
return executor(sql, params, many, context)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/backends/utils.py", line 84, in _execute
return self.cursor.execute(sql, params)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/utils.py", line 90, in exit
raise dj_exc_value.with_traceback(traceback) from exc_value
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/backends/utils.py", line 84, in _execute
return self.cursor.execute(sql, params)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py", line 73, in execute
return self.cursor.execute(query, args)
File "/home/ha/.local/lib/python3.7/site-packages/MySQLdb/cursors.py", line 206, in execute
res = self._query(query)
File "/home/ha/.local/lib/python3.7/site-packages/MySQLdb/cursors.py", line 319, in _query
db.query(q)
File "/home/ha/.local/lib/python3.7/site-packages/MySQLdb/connections.py", line 259, in query
_mysql.connection.query(self, query)
django.db.utils.OperationalError: (2006, 'MySQL server has gone away')

2020-12-30 12:29:39,024-WARNING house.py house register_watcher_event : end of register watcher event - <FileCreatedEvent: src_path='/home/ha/Dropbox/IFTTT/home-auto/December 30, 2020 at 12:29PM (1).txt'>

[7ooL]

temporary fix was to add wait_timeout = 31536000 to my.cnf for mysql. another time i will investigate how to re-establish connections if they are no longer present before doing a query.