Lately my musings have been bleak. The curve, the deaths, the loss of jobs, the grinding sadness of a planet out of commission are colliding with my pathological optimism. But writing is helping me cope with onerous things like running a business in an economy that is at the floor, or worse yet, underground.
A photo of a road sign that Neil sent provided perspective. More on that in a bit.
The silver lining in pandemic-times is that our family has found a new way to bond...through video chats. We touch base with the kids regularly to get a glimpse of what the world is like from their vantage. This includes cocktails via FaceTime and dinners via Zoom. We think we might be spending more time with them now than we have in the last several years. Hallelujah to that!
One of our kids been able to go to work and continues to treat patients. We worry about him constantly. What if he's exposed, what if he brings it home, what if, what if. So, we talk to him about mundane things like the weather.
Another one's life is in a suspended state, waiting for his profession to adjust to the emerging realities. He is in an infinite loop trying to figure out what happens next and there's little we can do to help. His stress is palpable. So, we talk to him about making pasta.
The third one is coping in the best way she can. We talk about work and new ways of doing old things. When our neck and back scream in pain from staring at our laptops, we talk about getting standing desks.
Our prayers these days center on relief for those who are struggling in this economy. I am staggered by our inability to do more, our collective confusion, and the lack of resources.. We tell each other to stay focused on doing the best we can to keep the economy going. That might, in the end, provide the safety net that people deserve when this is over.
In the meantime, weather, pasta, ergonomics, and hilarious road signs are the perfect antidotes for an uninvited and invisible guest.
