Our Coronavirus Story Part One
I keep a close eye on various news sources so I knew that changes would be important as Coronavirus, or Covid19, arrived in the United States. I contend with asthma and chronic bronchitis. And my immune system struggles with colds. I heal slowly after injuries. As I saw how the illness spread in other countries, I knew I did not have the luxury of counting myself among the healthy majority that would most likely be just fine. That, and what about that little percent that wouldn’t be fine? I had to do everything possible to keep myself, and my kids, healthy.
So as news swept into last week and schools speculated about closures as Community Spread became confirmed, I bought extra pasta and applesauce and iced tea. I wanted to prepare for social distancing while hoping for positive outcomes.
Friday was a big day. The day before, I went to the store and found it busier than usual. That made me tell the kids that I needed to stock up on any last requests on Friday. I would go to the store early. And that trip felt very different. The store was busy at 9am, far busier than usual. Everyone was civil and pleasant and obviously choosing non-perishable items. Our community is a retirement community, and I could see that the news for elders to prepare for the weeks ahead was influencing the shopping patterns. Lines stretched down the aisles.
Schools kept announcing closures. No surprise that both kids had their schools close effective Monday, moving towards distance learning on Wednesday. I’m fortunate that my kids are in middle school and high school. We are good at entertaining ourselves at home.
After family conversations, we decided that we could help the community, and ourselves, by practicing extreme social distancing and not leaving the house unless it was a necessity. Our “other sister” Jessica came to stay because she doesn’t have wifi at her family home which she will need for distance learning. And she’ll meet up with them for hikes or outdoor activities.
The realization is surreal. After news that the kids’ schools would close, we kept wandering the house and musing, “A whole month. No school for a month.” I mean, they’ll be distance learning, but no alarms. I caught myself realizing that I wouldn’t make school lunches for weeks.
The abstract thinking about these events crashes into reality when changes arrive for certain.
We have locked down voluntarily even though we don’t have any known contacts or symptoms. We want to do our part to flatten the curve and protect our family.
I am also not confident that we know where the virus is spreading given the struggles with testing in the United States. Hopefully, with a little time, testing will improve and we can all have a better idea about where infections have become hotspots.
I am so fortunate that I work freelance. It’s a stress that I cannot actively book sessions, although we could meet outside and I don’t need to touch anyone. Still, I am grateful that I have the ability to downshift dramatically. It’s not awesome, because I did need to earn income in the next few months, but I am grateful for health and food and essentials. I won’t be alone in financial challenges.
Meanwhile, I am turning to my camera to document these days. We have created a little world here. And, as we learned with the power outages last year, we cannot predict how the crises will manifest in our lives. We hope for the best for everyone. And, in the meantime, these photos are our journey in images.
Wishing everyone good health.
It feels strange like we’re overreacting but it also feels important to take drastic action before drastic action is really necessary. I’ll keep posting photos to share the story of this pandemic in our family. We’re in Northern California where no one has been officially diagnosed in our county. Fingers crossed that everyone stays safe.
May today find you healthy and safe and secure.
Best wishes from our family (and Chewie!) to yours!
