In December, China experienced the first cases of COVID19. They tried to warn us. Our leaders didn't listen. By January, South Korea and Italy began experiencing the virus, with quite a bit of television coverage. Our President called this a hoax, propagated by the Democrats. Concerned scientists tried to influence his opinions. It was of no avail.
Finally, cases of the virus began to explode in Washington State, then New York City, spreading to New York State, where I live. Within the space of one week, the cases in New York, now the highest concentration in the U.S., rocketed from 1400 on March 18th to 8377 on March 21st. I had heard on the news that the virus would expand exponentially, roughly doubling every six days. Meanwhile, cases in Italy have overwhelmed the system. At last count (this morning), I read that there are over 8000 cases in New York, 20,000 cases in the U.S., and 277, 300 cases in the world. These are only the cases that are being tested, verified, and reported. It's suspected that there are many, many more.
One week ago today was the last "normal" day I've had. I went to my YMCA to work out, came home, went to the grocery, and gassed up my car. By that evening, all the schools in my county, the YMCAs, and most churches had closed. As of tomorrow, all of New York State, with the exception of "essential businesses" (grocery stores, pharmacies, media, doctors' offices, hospitals) will be asked to stay home. 100% of the workforce not included in the "essential" category may not return to work until further notice.
It could be weeks. Or months.
There was panic in the grocery stores. Long lines, some fights that required police intervention, and shortages ensued. People are hoarding things, causing further shortages. In short, our lives are beginning to resemble a disaster movie. "Contagion," perhaps?
The international stock market continued the tumble that had begun a few weeks ago. At this point we estimate that it has lost approximately 50% of its value...not a pretty picture for retirees. Not at all.
What will become of us? We honestly have no idea. Hospitals are being built in state fairground buildings. Hotels, motels, and college dormitories will be taken over to house patients, and possibly military troops who are called in to help organize food pantries and keep order in the streets. There are currently so many shortages of medical supplies that some hospitals are asking civilians to sew home-made medical masks.
When I began this blog 4 years ago, I had no idea that it would become a place to discuss an international pandemic. It was a blog created to be an intergenerational discussion of grief, as I was taking a course on death and dying at seminary and needed a project that would be open to all for discussion.
Now it's going to be a discussion of what a pandemic looks like. Our lives are changed forever. How are you coping? Feel free to discuss, and add to the conversation. And truly, yesterday never looked so good. And yes, it is hard to say goodbye.
Please forgive me for the copy and paste of an email I sent this morning to my church family. I would like to share this here, and am too lazy to rewrite it, lol.
ReplyDeleteFrom: Jcdresbach
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Subject: Greetings to all
To: unitymonroeohio
Good morning, Unity friends and family. Just checking in and sharing a few thoughts. I trust all are keeping busy and finding new ways to cope as we forge ahead through these uncharted waters.
Already many stories of generosity and serendipity are starting to emerge. Here's one from my friend Jackie in Columbus. She is retired, lives alone, and is dealing with a medical issue that limits her mobility somewhat. She is eagerly awaiting surgery to help correct this problem, but since it is elective, has no idea when that will happen. Her neighbor Cindy has helped bring in her groceries when they are delivered and driven her to doctors appointments. So to express her appreciation my friend ordered some Easter candy online and decided to give her the chocolate fudge Easter egg early. When Cindy spied it, she beamed a big smile and then burst into tears. She said that was the exact same Easter treat her mom used to give her every year, even well into adulthood. It brought back such special memories of her mom, who she was missing. Needless to say, some virtual hugs were exchanged.
Here's my own story of serendipity. On Saturday I kind of hit the wall emotionally. We all have our own rate and style of coping with crises, and I was just totally immersed in denial, sadness and feeling helpless. I lamented to John that the hardest part for me is not being able to do what I am born to do: hands-on healing. He said, "you can massage me." Of course I had been meaning to do that for a while, but you know how life intervenes sometimes. So Sunday I gave him the best massage ever, and discovered that his right shoulder is almost frozen. He works long hours at a computer and doesn't exercise or stretch, so it's no surprise, but I had no idea how bad it was. So, I'm grateful for having the time to slow down and pay attention to what is going on close to me.
I'm spending time enjoying my favorite morning and late night talk shows, and watching people adapt and broadcast live from their homes. Really loving catching up on movies I missed the first time around, and working on a super hard jigsaw puzzle while listening to old rock and pop music albums: the Kinks, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Traffic. Every day the weather is good I have visited new to me parks. Friday when it was 75 degrees I visited the amazing Ault Park in Cinci for the first time, and revelled at a safe distance with dozens of people who were watching spring burst forth in all her finery.
Be safe, be well, be kind to others and especially to yourself. This is new territory and it's ok to experience the whole gamut of emotions. And take time every day to remember how loved and blessed you are.
In love and Light,
Jennifer Dresbach