COVID-19
It's a good thing I've never written this journal for anyone other than me, because this headline won't grab anyone's attention anymore. The headline refers to the pandemic that has swept across the globe and is currently ruining the lives of nearly every human on the planet. We are all in isolation - some to further degrees than others. The boys are home from school. I am working from home. I have had to temporarily lay off an employee. The impact of the virus is changing daily life by the hour, and it has everyone feeling depressed, anxious, and lonely. But this is only the beginning.
It was only three weeks ago that Steve and I were in paradise, without a care in the world. We were on our anniversary vacation in Nuevo Vallarta for the second year in a row. He had taken me there last year as one of our "surprise" destinations, and I fell so in love with it that I requested we forget the surprises and return year after year to the same perfect place. He loved it just as much as I. The service was extraordinary - you couldn't walk through the corridors without passing several workers who would place their hand on their heart, look you in the eyes, and greet you with, "Buenos dias!" The food was expertly prepared and the options for variety were bountiful. The scenery was lush tropical forest with wooden plank walkways extending over canals and lakes or along the mile-length of the pristine private beach. There were parties on the sand at night and water aerobics in the pool in the afternoon. We relished in the opportunity to do as little as possible, joking that the hardest decision of each day was choosing a pair of loungers by the pool. We would read our Kindles and iPhones or even paperback books by the pool each day while Steve fought off a few clients who still required his attention. In my scrolling I would read about this virus, which started in China and was immediately recognized as a global threat, and how it was slowly making its way to the US, and how we would all need to be vigilant and keep our hands as clean as possible. The story had been known for many weeks, but had not yet become something that actually concerned most people I know.
I sent Jess a text message, simply stating, "Please encourage Matthew to wash his hands at all times. The corona virus is no joke. Right after school, after baseball, before eating anything, etc."
"Will do. Is it affecting things in Puerto Vallarta?"
"No." I replied. "Just watching the news carefully. Paradise is fully in tact, thank the lord!"
And that was it. There was no overabundance of caution at our resort. You could ask for hand sanitizer and probably easily get it in the lobby. But nobody was wearing masks - even on our flights. We made a point of bringing our own, but when I got on board at LAX and promptly attached my mask, I realized it made my breath uncomfortably warm inside the mask, and that not a single other person was wearing one. I listened and couldn't hear so much as a sniffle or cough anywhere around me, so that was comforting. I stubbornly kept my mask affixed to my face for the first thirty minutes, and then finally, silently acknowledging that we did not even have the approved N95 mask that could actually prevent inhalation of the virus, I took it off.
At home life was still normal, and Marika was staying with Jesse to keep him honest. Matthew had only spent two days with them before Jess came to get him for the bulk of the week. They all had school, Matthew had baseball, and Jesse spent time with his friends, even taking Matthew's mattress and riding it down the stairs one afternoon. Matthew got upset when he discovered the mess in his room when Jesse failed to properly restore his mattress with all stuffed animals comfortably loaded on top. Matthew does a good job confronting people politely when he feels there has been a violation of his rights. Steve and I have taught him that. It's a skill that is going to serve him invaluably throughout his life, so we're proud. We are actively working with Jesse to ensure he is respectful of others and mindful of his actions. Raising a teenager is a daily challenge.
Once we were back at home, on the first of March, things started to change slowly. News reports were heating up. The president was shrugging it all off, going so far as to call the coronavirus a "democratic hoax" at his disgusting reelection rallies. Meanwhile, Italy was beginning to see the error in its ignorant ways as hospitals rapidly became overwhelmed with patients and the death toll started to climb. China was old news. Nobody had a cure or a vaccine, and the far east was communicating the importance of isolating people from each other so as to avoid tragic losses. But the US, in typical fashion of pride and arrogance, was not willing to respond with anything that might alarm the populous. Those who could be called alarmist or foolish began stockpiling toilet paper and water from the local stores, and by the time the rest of us clued in that this might be more serious than we were being told, the stores had already started running out. My first trip to the store about a week or so later to specifically look for TP was in vain, and I noticed many other items such as sanitary wipes and meat had seemingly become more precious commodities.
All of a sudden this became the kind of phenomenon that unraveled faster than you could keep up. One day we had an understanding that the virus was really only a significant threat to the immune-compromised and elderly, after hanging up the phone with an elderly relative, the news would inform us that people in their 20's are also dying all over the world. At work, shortly after resolving we would hold board meetings via teleconference and close the community pools but keep the parks open, we'd receive emails from homeowners asking why we weren't fencing off the tot lots. Governmental entities cannot keep up and are sending mixed messages that have only further rattled a population already anxious from a hunger for sound leadership. School districts struggled to understand why they were still open if Disneyland was closed and March Madness had been cancelled. They had no cases in the OC school districts but felt the pressure to take preventative measures, as sometimes the disease can be transmitted even when one feels no symptoms. Late last Friday afternoon they finally informed parents the districts would be closing and teachers were tasked with designing "distance learning" curriculums as fast as humanly possible. Just this week the County of Orange issued a proclamation that only the most essential business should remain operational but people took that to be an order to "shelter in place". They had to walk it back the next day and attempt to clarify without conveying anything less than the continued seriousness of the situation.
"Social distancing" is the buzz word; avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, we are told. Presently, we are interacting with people outside of immediate family only through social media, FaceTime, and phone calls. Everyone who can is working from home, and many people have been laid off. The tourism industry is in shambles, as are restaurants, special events, and entertainment workers. Literally anywhere that would normally host people to experience something in common is off the table right now. The government has yet to afford anyone any kind of rescue compensation, but it is coming. Nobody believes, however, that it will stop the stock market from tanking or people from undergoing extreme hardship. They are talking about $1,000 per person which will be extremely costly for the government and not nearly enough for the people. Regardless, no amount of money could offset the depression so many millions of people will feel from the isolation. Those who live alone will be left alone. Those in abusive relationships will be left captive. Those without health insurance will not receive the care they need, and those insured will be lucky to get help. Those already barely hanging on will have no real safety net. It is a very dire outlook that most would prefer not to even think about.
In order to survive, we are trying to stay positive. The negativity in the media and on Facebook is very difficult to avoid, so I am trying to spread some sunshine there. Matthew and I made a YouTube video demonstrating common household items that could be used in case anyone runs out of toilet paper. On St. Patrick's Day, I provided a virtual tour of my backyard succulent garden. I am determined to ensure the boys get good exercise by taking them to the park for some basic cardio and resistance training but thus far, the weather has not been on our side. We are baking and reading books and playing games and watching movies. This will be our lives for the foreseeable future.
Let us never again undervalue the everyday freedoms we have taken for granted for too long.