In Which I'm Not (Very) Afraid of the Big Bad Global Pandemic

When I last posted just under a month ago, my biggest problem was the fact that my wrist was broken and I couldn't drive or do much around the house. My wrist is now in a splint instead of a cast and I can drive, and do some, though still not all, household chores. I can also type on a regular keyboard, which makes posting a bit faster. However, in the space of a month, the world has become a very different place thanks to Covid-19.

As a history buff, I've read a lot about the recurrent bubonic plague outbreaks in the middle ages as well as the 1918 flu epidemic. My adulthood has featured SARS and H1N1 flu, but those did not rise to the level of global pandemics. It never occurred to me that I might live through something akin to the 1918 influenza epidemic.

It appears as if the current outbreak is approaching that level, however. A month ago it was centered in Asia with a smattering of travel related cases elsewhere. Now Italy has the highest percentage of deaths. the United States seems to finally be taking the virus seriously. Colleges around us started closing down or moving to online classes early this week. Yesterday our governor issued a strong recommendation for all schools prek to 12 to close down at least until the end of March. After today, my kids will be out of school until April 6, and that's presuming the virus is on the decline at that point, which is questionable.

Wednesday my church cancelled classes, and last night they announced that they will be live-streaming a worship service without a congregation on Sunday. Boy Scout and Cub Scout meetings have yet to be cancelled, but I'll be shocked if they don't follow suit. Thankfully, the den I lead just finished the work for their Wolf badges on Monday so it won't he a huge loss if we don't meet for a month. So far, our only regular activity that has declared itself open is The Little Gym, where Kittygirl takes gymnastics.

Technically, Kittygirl is at higher risk because she has diabetes. From what I've gleaned, however, as a child with well controlled diabetes, her risk is only a tiny bit higher. If she got the virus it would affect her blood sugar and add an extra component to treatment, but I'm not any more concerned for her than I am for myself, my husband, or Squirrelboy. I'm more concerned for my parents and in laws, who are in their 70's and 80's. Both my father and father in law also have chronic health conditions that increase their risk. However, they both have practiced a lot of social distancing since retiring, spending most of their time in their homes, so hopefully that will keep them from getting infected.

As a parent, I'm trying to remain calm about this pandemic for the sake of my kids. They're both bummed about school closing starting next week (which surprised me in Squirrelboy's case because he's having a rough semester). Kittygirl has heard lists of who is at higher risks, including those with chronic diseases like diabetes, and asked if she needs to be concerned. At this point, I believe I'm being honest when I tell her that she's still not at high risk because very few kids have gotten the virus and those who have have had mild symptoms.

The kids will come home today with some suggested educational activities but no firm assignments, from what I understand. I'm going to try to make the best of the downtime and the forced time together. I hope to finish reading aloud Little Women to Kittygirl (we just finished chapter 4, so we have a long way to go). I may be able to re initiate storytime with Squirrelboy. Hopefully the kids will get along well enough to play some board games together. If we're all feeling well and there are no specific instructions issued against such activities we'll take walks around our neighborhood, go out to the mountain bike trails, and do some hiking locally.

While I would take this burden away from the world if I could, since I can't, I'm doing my best to think of this forced downtime as an opportunity to step back from our busy lives, rest, and reconnect. I was particularly struck by this poem which has been making the rounds on social media. I don't know the blogger etiquette for sharing someone else's poetry, so hopefully I'm not breaking any rules here.


Pandemic

What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.

And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.

Promise this world your love--
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.

--Lynn Ungar 3/11/20

We are all deeply interconnected, maybe even more than we thought we were. We're seeing a serious negative consequence right now, but there are positive consequences as well. After this crisis subsides, I hope we can find new ways to bless each other. During the crisis, I hope that those of us who are not sickened but choose to pull away to protect others, can embrace the forced rest from our regular lives and find some of the rest our society often lacks. And in case  you're stressed out and needs some cheering up, here's an adorable picture of a kitten in a box.