Imagine if you’ve been asleep for the last month or so. Maybe you just woke up from an extended, super-long winter’s nap. Or you’ve been in a coma. Would you ever in your wildest dreams have predicted the state we’re in? I don’t think so.
When I signed off after writing my last blog post in January (yes, I know ….) I expected that in my next post I would be writing about how intermittent fasting went and how well I managed to stay dry in January. As a matter of fact, it went pretty well: I lost some weight and I did not indulge in any alcoholic beverages all month. But that feels like a lifetime ago. March feels like it’s lasted at least six months and it’s not over yet.
Instead, I sit here on my couch and try to figure out if we can avoid contact with other people for two straight days. Do we have enough food in the house? I think our toilet paper supply will last a while longer. What about alcohol? We did not extend Dry January into February. That doesn’t mean we drank every night. Most nights a cup of herbal tea was our nightcap. But March, wow; I think many of us would classify our local ABC stores as “essential” businesses.
Turns out air compressors are essential, too. The supply chain, pharmaceutical companies, and so many others depend on our products and services, so we’re all working and feeling fortunate to be doing so and bringing home paychecks. But unfortunately, not all of us can work remotely. I’m part of the half that’s still going to the office every day. We’re trying to keep our distance in the office so we eat lunch at our desks, have online meetings, and wash our hands as often as we can.
My dad worries about me and wishes I could stay home. I worry about him. I worry about the rest of the family. My son is part of the front lines at the grocery stores. My daughter’s hours at the vet has been reduced to part-time, once she’s cleared by her doctor to return to work. It’s not a very convenient time to suffer from seasonal allergies. The rest of the kids are at home either doing telework or sidelined by restaurant closures.
I wish I could be sitting with you in our favorite coffee shop enjoying a hot latte or cappuccino. I could tell you all about the grandchildren due this summer, my latest crochet project, or even bore you with recaps of the last Acoustic Onion gig. Instead, we have to take our coffees to go, handed to us by a gloved hand through an open door. We have YouTube livestreams for the band, and we postpone travel plans to see the kids.
Maybe the next time I write this will all be behind us. We’ll all be grateful for the time spent side-by-side with friends and family. I know many parents will have a new appreciation and respect for teachers. Hopefully, our favorite restaurant will still be around.
What about you? How are you doing? If you’ve been social distancing or in quarantine, what’s the first thing you’re going to do?
If I had it my way, I would stay home and never go out at all until all this is over. But the truth of the matter is, we all have to eat and sooner or later we all have to go to the store. I do not worry about toilet paper and don’t understand this hoarding of it. I worry more about not finding food since the last three times I’ve been to the stores, there hasn’t been bread, milk, meat, or even frozen vegetables and meat. My husband and I have decided now is as good a time as any to lose weight! I guess maybe the first thing I will do when this is all over is perhaps eat out at my favorite restaurant or maybe go shopping in my favorite bookstore. I’m doing fine now as long as I’m safe at home.