Into Week Two of involuntary quarantine. I say “involuntary” because it’s not against my will (certainly not!), it’s just that I have no other choice — everything around me is being cancelled.
My state is now under a stay-at-home rule. Being a dedicated runner and overall exercise fanatic, this news made me very concerned. How will I get my runner’s high if I can’t leave the house? I don’t want to drop a couple thou on a treadmill; they’re tough on my legs to begin with. Fortunately, running is allowed. I’ll stick to side streets just in case someone objects to my being in public. The good news is I’ve noticed more people are clearing the sidewalks for me, especially noteworthy when they have big dogs.
At first, this all sounded like a new adventure. But the novelty is quickly wearing off. Going out to eat? No problem, just have everything delivered. Except I tried that twice this weekend. Both times, my favored menu choices were not available. That gives me pause about our supply chain. First toilet paper, now chocolate mousse cheesecake. Where will it all end?
Is there any way to make this more fun? Some are trying. For example, some Broadway songwriters have written some novel hand-washing songs (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/well/we-wrote-you-a-hand-washing-song-listen-up.html?). Expert advice is to wash your hands for twenty seconds, coincidentally the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday, but at my age the last song I want to hear is Happy Birthday.
Somehow, we’ll get by. If Europe survived the Black Plague, we’ll survive this. Or perhaps that’s not a good analogy considering how many people died from the Plague. If this were mid-winter, I would try hibernating. So since this is now spring, perhaps working in our yards will be a nice distraction? You haven’t seen my yard lately.
What is that British slogan? “Keep calm and carry on”? I’m trying, I’m trying.