Flattening the Curve
A slate sky meets with me this morning. The smell of fresh air from the prior nights rain storms radiates throughout the interior of my house. I watch out my kitchen window as birds pounce on defenseless worms forced from the safety of their dirt homes. It feels like nature is constantly reminding me of the natural order that must take place for the world to heal. There are no answers for the purgatory we are all in-together. Two days of incessantly watching rumors of mass gun buying and spikes in crime, Republicans asking Congress to suspend Constitutional rights, the economy tanking, and job losses soaring. The big bad ugly man who is going to take everything from me and my family is slowly being constructed in my head. He’s not totally real yet (an imagination out of control due to quarantine), but I feel as though I need to prepare to defend against something.
Our federal government (Senate) last night could not reach a deal to assist with the economy, voting 47 to 47 against stop gap legislation that would place money in hurting family’s pockets while propping up failing businesses. California Governor Newsom’s only words of advice were that he was actively considering implementing martial law. Flags are beginning to tatter and fray under the weight of the coronavirus. People keep repeating the phrases, “flatten the curve” and “new normal”, but they don’t have answers related to how I am supposed to plan for caring for my family. I want to scream, “It has only been a week” and experts unapologetically respond en masse that we haven’t even experienced the worst. I am trying to swat away the fear but it keeps growing like ripe fruit rotting on the counter. I am no longer a Democrat or Republican after watching our supposed leaders this past week botch every single moment to assist our citizens.
My son and I are not getting along. He is 18 years old. I want to discuss what is happening with him and figure out how to work together but it comes out all wrong. I gave him a wood bat thinking he could have it as a protective tool. Instead, he thought my motives were “weird”. I honestly am at a loss with what to advise my young adult children who conceivably will have to deal with this mess for their whole lives. This is going to affect all aspects of daily life for them including schooling options, full-time employment, relationships, economic stability, shelter, food, hobbies, hanging out with friends-everything. I think back a couple months ago, my son expressed interest in studying to be a chef. He was excited to explore this option, but now; what do I say to him?
I went to the grocery store on Saturday by myself. The shelves are emptier than before but there was meat, chicken, bread, and frozen pizzas. I decided not to hoard any of the items mentioned so I placed four packages of chicken, two frozen pizzas and two loaves of bread in my shopping cart. I figured this was enough food to feed a family of five for one week. I noticed the large Tri-Tip’s had doubled in price to $40.00 at which point I made the conscious decision to pass it up to save on money. Literally, one week prior I had no issue buying my favorite BBQ meat.
While at the check stand, I watched in horror as the employee removed meat and chicken from the person’s basket in front of me. According to the new unwritten rules at this particular grocery store, customers were only allowed one meat, one chicken, one frozen pizza, and one loaf of bread per person. I now understood why there was food on the shelves in certain areas; food was being rationed. I had noticed a few signs posted haphazardly near the bread shelves, but there were no such signs near the meat or frozen pizza section. My turn was next and I felt my face become flush from frustration that this happening to our society, anger that this woman was stopping me from providing for my family, and fear that this was just the beginning. I’ll give the employee credit, she tried to ease the tension by repeatedly apologizing while the only response I could mutter was a curt “This is unacceptable”. Unfortunately, my interaction didn’t stop her from taking the chicken and bread away. On a brighter note, she did allow me to purchase two frozen pizzas; victory is mine.
On Sunday (March 22nd), I started working out which definitely helped my mental outlook. I decided that every hour, I would knock out 19 push-ups to battle this fucking COVID-19 virus. Christy and I also went on a long walk along the dikes. There were people everywhere walking, riding bikes, running; some were conversational and others not so much. One thing was for sure, “social distancing” was definitely being recognized.
Right now, I’m starting to formulate or work on a plan. No one in my immediate circle wants to discuss if they are planning or what their plan is, but I’m thinking there has to be a movement to pool resources with people I trust. I believe this week will provide deeper insight into what the next several months will look like and I want to be in front of the curve.