These Times

Another Day in Paradise

“It’s another day for you and me in paradise,” or so Phil Collins sings. And it is for us in our family. People in our country are dying from this virus, in our state they’re getting very sick. It’s likely a matter of time before the deaths come in N.C. as well. I am forunate because I work for a company where I can get the job done from home during this crisis and they continue to pay me. I can have conference calls online and it all kind of works.

Tolls

There are physical tolls that folks around me are dealing with. They’re getting unbearably high fevers, terrible coughs, and have respiratory problems. But there will be psychological tolls as well. These are the mental challenges which even the healthiest of us will have to or are already dealing with. Tonight, I’ve been struggling with the fear of uncertainty. How long will this last? How many people will it kill and sicken? How long will school for our boys be out? Might I get infected by the virus, even if I’m lucky enough to not be in the high-risk demographic? Might I infect others accidentally, and possibly even without knowing? Will I lose my job like so many others in the country? How can I help the boys cope and process it all?

Poetry

So despite all the negativity that surrounds us now, I do believe that this too shall pass. There are still the beautiful things in the world every day to notice. Like poetry. Music, and the sunrise. The beach and kindness. Ah yes, kindness. Let’s all treat each other the way Fred Rogers treated those he met. Let us be kind to one another and not take advantage of this already horrid situation.

I heard something quite small but remarkably huge in a way tonight. Someone on TV said that we can do heroic things in these times without it seeming like such a heroic act. We can stay home. We can possibly save someone’s life by not going out and socializing. Maybe if we don’t have a talent for writing poetry, at least we can be a hero in another way.