Healthy, young(ish) and surrounded by furry creatures that have no idea what's happening out there. I also have the luxury of working from home, so my daily routine has been only minimally impacted. My wife Chelsea is also fortunate, she teaches at the local university and her classes have moved online. So, for now, we are still able to work. It's hard to imagine what this is and will be like for all of those hourly earners and others who will suffer because of this, and those that are still stocking the shelves and delivering the goods we all need to survive. Not to mention the healthcare workers on the front lines.
My middle brother (there are four of us, my poor mother) is one of these people, a delivery manager for a beverage company in Indiana, he still has to go into all the stores, take orders and make sure people are getting what they need. I can't help but worry about what he's exposing himself to, interacting with the public and going about his day like he always does. My oldest brother, hunkered down in Colorado with his spring garden and bag of weed, is vulnerable to this shit. He's long suffered from a chronic illness. I fear that if he contracted this nasty thing, he wouldn't make it. My mother is almost 81 and alone (my father passed away seven years ago), she's extremely healthy for her age, but if this hits her or her friends, it would be devastating.
These are the people we are staying home for. The isolation is worth it, and fortunately, we still have outlets to interact and share this experience that may well redefine our lives and the future course of our country (medicare for all!). We are all connected, interwoven in a calamity that will one day ease. Right now it feels all so dire, and it may well get worse, but it won't last forever. Nobody is going through this alone. If you feel like you are, DO NOT be afraid to reach out (joshuafrank78 at gmail.com). Let's Skype/Facetime.
The anxiety of not-knowing who all of this is going to impact, how long we have to stay put, the state of our jobs (if any of you need help, please hit me up, again, you aren't alone), can be overwhelming. We all have ways to deal with it, some healthier (too many beers) than others (sleeping). I've taken to longer runs than normal and trying to keep up with yoga at home. Running for me is a meditative exercise. A calming force. In the evening we take our dog, Joni, for long walks. I also love to surf but haven't been out in weeks. A small sacrifice, I admit. I am fortunate to live in a climate that allows me to get outside for fresh air - air that's cleaner than normal since the polluting industries around here are slowing down. A silver-lining in these strange days.
We still have MUSIC. I made a little playlist, coronavirus/quarantine related, that I'll share here.
Lastly, my wife and I moved into a new place in December. The house came with an old desert tortoise named Herman, who happens to be a female. Anyway, Herman was sound asleep, cruising through winter when we moved in and she finally woke up a couple of weeks ago when we had a stretch of warm weather. Now, every morning, Herman slogs out of the makeshift house I erected for her and basks in the sunshine before grazing on grass, hibiscus and cactus in our yard. She usually calls it quits in the early afternoon. I only bring up Herman because her life cycle has not changed. She's still doing her thing. Nature rolls on even though time seems to have been indefinitely interrupted. It hasn't. Remember that. If you are reading this, you are still alive.
Peace, Josh
PS: Thanks Lucy for putting this all together.
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