April in Eastgate - the Stay at Home Edition

April at Eastgate - Stay-at-Home Edition

I will be honest with you:  this stay at home thing is getting old.  Don't get me wrong.  I hate leaving my house unless it involves visiting my farm, my family or my best friends.  If we weren't under social isolation orders, I would probably be socially isolated anyway. That's just me.  

It's also just me to rebel about most things I am told to do.  Being told I have to stay home is tantamount to being told I can't see my grandkids or my best friends. I have missed my grandson Carter's birthday in March, and I will miss my grandson Nolan's birthday in a couple of weeks.  One of my best friends' birthday was yesterday.  The idea that I cannot see them makes these milestones more significant and makes me want to see them even more. 

I am sure you share my dilemma but like me, you realize that this suffering is nothing compared with that of the people who feel abandoned in nursing homes or those who are dying alone, with no family by their sides. It is absolutely nothing compared to the sacrifices of the medical professionals and first responders who are sacrificing their own lives for the sake of helping others.

(I know we have many first responders and medical workers in our neighborhood.  God bless you all.)

The hardest part of this, I think, is the uncertainty of what is coming.  We have been told the next two weeks (maybe we're down to one week now) were going to be hard.  What does "hard" mean in qualitative and quantitative measures?  We don't know; no one does.  This is a stress-inducing time.

I see the stress of others in lots of ways. My husband works at an essential service and sees other people not socially distancing. He stresses because he could unknowingly become infected, and hence, bring COVID-19 home to me.

My daughters worry about their families and also about their parents' health.  They check-in on us frequently via Messenger and are taking our pre-existing conditions risks seriously. They are worried.  We are worried about them and our grandchildren.

Colleagues teaching from home are worried, too. They are worried about the children they cannot reach by phone.  They are worried that online instruction is not getting their students ready for the next grade.  They are worried about what new challenges the upcoming school year will bring.

I have sensed anxiety in the correspondence I have received from teachers and principals who are enrolled in my online class.  I have received more correspondence from people worrying if their project is "right" now than I have in the past four times I have taught this course.  The extra time gives us more time to worry.

Watching the news, including Governor Justice's and President Trump's press conferences, is as stress-inducing now as the reporting of the terrorist attacks was on 9/11. It is the repetition of information droned on and on, so reminiscent of  1984 or Brave New World, that makes me jump out of my skin, and the continual chatter of rehashing the same information over and over that makes me want to scream.

No one knows where we will all end up when this is over. Will we trust experts when they say we are safe, or will we all be suspiciously distant? How likely will we be to hug those friends and coworkers we desperately miss?  Will our outlooks on life be as affected by COVID-19 as the Great Depression affected our forebears?  Only time will tell. 

Hold on tight, folks.  We could be in for a long ride.

God bless you and please stay safe.