3/17 Covid-19 Update: "When despair for the world grows in me"
Hi everyone,
How is it only Tuesday?! Every day somehow feels like a year, and life before covid feels like an eternity ago. The reality that public health experts have been warning us about- that it's going to get worse before it gets better - seems to sink in more every day. Yesterday France declared itself "at war" with the virus - and that's certainly what it feels like in Seattle too. San Francisco ordered residents to "shelter in place" and NYC seems ready to do the same. Around the world, bars and restaurants and churches and borders are shutting down. A lot of my favorite local businesses in Seattle closed yesterday, with a high degree of uncertainty if/when they'd be able to open again. It's hard for me to see the other side of this right now, but I just have to keep reminding myself that eventually we'll get there. It's not going to get worse forever --- eventually it will start getting better.
And so even though yesterday was incredibly sobering and scary, it feels important to tell you that yesterday was also he first time I've felt hopeful (at least about covid in the US) in weeks, largely because of the new optimism I sensed from my colleagues, and from the fact that our government seemed to be taking this sufficiently seriously for the first time. We're learning lessons from China and South Korea that seem to show that if we can ramp up testing, effectively isolate infected/exposed people, and all do our part to socially distance as much possible -- we might be able to turn the corner on this. That sense of hope doesn't extend to the global economy or poor countries like those in Africa that don't have the resources to test/control - so I'm going to continue to pray that global leaders and economists rise to the occasion and match the herculean efforts I'm seeing from the scientists I know to help the poorest, both in the states and around the world, who always seem to be the hardest hit and the last in line for resources.
One thing I continue to be struck by is how differently we're all experiencing this based on our own unique circumstances- quarantining at home with small kids is dramatically different than it is for people who are living alone and bingeing Netflix. Old and immunocompromised people are feeling a very different kind of anxiety than those who are young and healthy. People who continue to have a reliable income compared to those who lost their jobs yesterday and don't know how they'll pay their rent or buy groceries. I find myself in so many privileged categories, and sometimes don't know what to do with that.
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Recommended reading:
What it's like for doctors/nurses in Seattle right now:“Most physicians have never seen this level of angst and anxiety in their careers...“Now that we see front-line providers that are on ventilators, it is really driving it home,” Dr. Anderson said"
The workers who face the greatest coronavirus risk: People with jobs that put them in physical contact with many others are at the greatest risk of becoming sick - this tool lets you see how different professions compare. Tl'dr: we owe our nurses and personal care aides are heroes.
How social distancing works and what it means for you:What is social distancing? Why 6 feet? Can I go outside? Can my kids have play dates? Will it work?
Good News:
I hereby give you permission to eat all the pasta you want.
Covid-19 Poem of the Day:
I've loved this poem by Wendell Berry for years, but have read it almost every day the last few weeks. For those of us who can get outside and be in the peace of wild things, I recommend it.
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Lastly - in the midst of the surreal times we've been living through, the sunsets in Seattle recently have been abnormally beautiful for March. Here is a photo of last night's, taken at Golden Gardens. Hope you all are able to find some grace to rest in.
Take good care and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Alison
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