How life has changed in the past month
It's so strange to see the difference in life between March and April this year.
--I haven't worked since March 19th.
--I got sick, which rarely happens to begin with, possibly with a virus that never before existed prior to the end of last year.
--I have left the house a total of three times in the past month--twice to run mail to the post office (only to the drive-up boxes, not inside), and once to go to the bank and grocery shopping (same trip).
--My mom has been laid off since March 23rd, from a job where she's been employed for 34 years. She is hoping her insurance is covered through the end of May, when she'll then retire and go on Medicare. She filed for unemployment for the first time in her life.
--Dad, already a bit of a news junkie, watches MSNBC and CNN religiously.
--Mom, not a news junkie, has taken to watching the same local news dad and I do (Channel 9 in the morning, Channel 5 in the afternoon and at night), as well as the daily press conferences by Lori Lightfoot and J.B. Pritzker. (We did have to explain to her that no, Lori is not our mayor, so we are not bound by the Chicago proclamations. She legit wasn't sure. Oh, mom.)
--I will not be going back to work until at least after April 30th, when Illinois' stay-at-home order ends.
--Non-essential people have been asked to stay home as much as possible, and to stay six feet from other people when you do leave the house.
--The terms "social distancing" and "Zoom," which were never part of my personal lexicon before, now come up nearly every day.
--I have been emailing YC almost daily to keep in touch with her and hear what's going on. (Not much, but we talk about personal stuff, too.)
--Many businesses are closed, many people are out of work, children are not in school. Pritzker ordered schools closed as of March 17th, and in the past couple of days, word came that students will not be returning to school this academic year.
--High school seniors, like my cousin's daughter SJ, will not have a prom and may not have a graduation.
--The Olympics have been postponed until next year.
--Sports are virtually nonexistent.
--With no sports, and businesses not advertising since they're not open, the paper has shrunk. This week's Chronicle is 36 pages; normally it's about 64. The car section of the Trib has been combined with the real estate section since dealerships aren't advertising. The sports section goes over this date in history, discussing important sports stories through the years. I've even found a games page in the sports section recently. There are hardly any sales fliers save for CVS and Walgreens, some of the few stores still open. Most articles have at least some relation to the virus; it's the rare story that doesn't. Nearly every obituary has some sort of disclaimer that there will be no visitation and a memorial will be held at a later date.
--Many festivals have been canceled or likely won't be held.
--If you do go shopping, be prepared to not use reusable bags; there are limits on certain items that a household can buy per day; and don't expect to find name brand toilet paper or any sort of disinfectant cleaner or hand sanitizer.
--People wear masks when they'll be interacting with others. In fact, a number of Chicago suburbs have mandated it in the past few days. I have even downloaded instructions for making masks in case I feel the need, though I am getting along okay with a bandana.
--My poor grandma has been sequestered inside her condo for six weeks. She has gotten groceries delivered to her place, but otherwise she has been alone all this time, unable to come out for Easter. We do speak with her by phone several times a week, as does my uncle.
--It's caused me to reach out to people I haven't talked to in a while, or don't normally talk to, just to say hi and I've been thinking of them.
--Since we're all at home, we've been working on projects that we wouldn't normally have done. I do like this aspect of things; it's the only good thing to come of it.
--Band is on hiatus indefinitely. Simply the full band itself is too large to have us all together until restrictions are loosened, much less playing for an audience.
--I haven't even practiced in weeks because I haven't wanted to get germs on my flute. (Maybe later today?)
--It makes me wonder how soon I'll be able to see people, talk to them, hang out with them, hug some of them.
Nobody anticipated anything like this when the year started. It started with such promise, not simply a fresh year, but a fresh decade. Anything was possible. This was not even within the realm of thought, this situation. It's amazing how quickly things went downhill. It's like the world itself was looking for a reset. With so few people on the road these days, pollution levels have decreased. Animals are finding their ways back outside since people aren't around. It's making people rethink their priorities--if you're one of the lucky ones. There are still people who have to work, and hard, and that's another thing that's changed--the essential workers regularly get thanked for what they're doing to keep people fed and safe, not to mention fighting for their lives in some cases. There is a camaraderie I've not seen much in my life outside of September 11th. There's a reason we're supposed to be staying home, to keep those workers safe. In my extended family there is a nurse and a surgeon; I have no idea what their lives are like right now, but it must be so stressful. I hope they are doing okay. I hope we all make it through this.
--I haven't worked since March 19th.
--I got sick, which rarely happens to begin with, possibly with a virus that never before existed prior to the end of last year.
--I have left the house a total of three times in the past month--twice to run mail to the post office (only to the drive-up boxes, not inside), and once to go to the bank and grocery shopping (same trip).
--My mom has been laid off since March 23rd, from a job where she's been employed for 34 years. She is hoping her insurance is covered through the end of May, when she'll then retire and go on Medicare. She filed for unemployment for the first time in her life.
--Dad, already a bit of a news junkie, watches MSNBC and CNN religiously.
--Mom, not a news junkie, has taken to watching the same local news dad and I do (Channel 9 in the morning, Channel 5 in the afternoon and at night), as well as the daily press conferences by Lori Lightfoot and J.B. Pritzker. (We did have to explain to her that no, Lori is not our mayor, so we are not bound by the Chicago proclamations. She legit wasn't sure. Oh, mom.)
--I will not be going back to work until at least after April 30th, when Illinois' stay-at-home order ends.
--Non-essential people have been asked to stay home as much as possible, and to stay six feet from other people when you do leave the house.
--The terms "social distancing" and "Zoom," which were never part of my personal lexicon before, now come up nearly every day.
--I have been emailing YC almost daily to keep in touch with her and hear what's going on. (Not much, but we talk about personal stuff, too.)
--Many businesses are closed, many people are out of work, children are not in school. Pritzker ordered schools closed as of March 17th, and in the past couple of days, word came that students will not be returning to school this academic year.
--High school seniors, like my cousin's daughter SJ, will not have a prom and may not have a graduation.
--The Olympics have been postponed until next year.
--Sports are virtually nonexistent.
--With no sports, and businesses not advertising since they're not open, the paper has shrunk. This week's Chronicle is 36 pages; normally it's about 64. The car section of the Trib has been combined with the real estate section since dealerships aren't advertising. The sports section goes over this date in history, discussing important sports stories through the years. I've even found a games page in the sports section recently. There are hardly any sales fliers save for CVS and Walgreens, some of the few stores still open. Most articles have at least some relation to the virus; it's the rare story that doesn't. Nearly every obituary has some sort of disclaimer that there will be no visitation and a memorial will be held at a later date.
--Many festivals have been canceled or likely won't be held.
--If you do go shopping, be prepared to not use reusable bags; there are limits on certain items that a household can buy per day; and don't expect to find name brand toilet paper or any sort of disinfectant cleaner or hand sanitizer.
--People wear masks when they'll be interacting with others. In fact, a number of Chicago suburbs have mandated it in the past few days. I have even downloaded instructions for making masks in case I feel the need, though I am getting along okay with a bandana.
--My poor grandma has been sequestered inside her condo for six weeks. She has gotten groceries delivered to her place, but otherwise she has been alone all this time, unable to come out for Easter. We do speak with her by phone several times a week, as does my uncle.
--It's caused me to reach out to people I haven't talked to in a while, or don't normally talk to, just to say hi and I've been thinking of them.
--Since we're all at home, we've been working on projects that we wouldn't normally have done. I do like this aspect of things; it's the only good thing to come of it.
--Band is on hiatus indefinitely. Simply the full band itself is too large to have us all together until restrictions are loosened, much less playing for an audience.
--I haven't even practiced in weeks because I haven't wanted to get germs on my flute. (Maybe later today?)
--It makes me wonder how soon I'll be able to see people, talk to them, hang out with them, hug some of them.
Nobody anticipated anything like this when the year started. It started with such promise, not simply a fresh year, but a fresh decade. Anything was possible. This was not even within the realm of thought, this situation. It's amazing how quickly things went downhill. It's like the world itself was looking for a reset. With so few people on the road these days, pollution levels have decreased. Animals are finding their ways back outside since people aren't around. It's making people rethink their priorities--if you're one of the lucky ones. There are still people who have to work, and hard, and that's another thing that's changed--the essential workers regularly get thanked for what they're doing to keep people fed and safe, not to mention fighting for their lives in some cases. There is a camaraderie I've not seen much in my life outside of September 11th. There's a reason we're supposed to be staying home, to keep those workers safe. In my extended family there is a nurse and a surgeon; I have no idea what their lives are like right now, but it must be so stressful. I hope they are doing okay. I hope we all make it through this.