3/27 Covid-19 Update: "Faithful friends who are dear to us will be near to us once more"
I think it was just last week (what is a week?) that I was saying that I tried to write this in the morning because my sense of optimism declined throughout the day - and now the reverse has happened. For the last few days, I've woken up, reached for my phone, and just burst into tears. It's similar to what it's felt like after after someone I loved has died. Waking up in the morning, momentarily forgetting that the worst thing has happened, and convincing yourself that it's just a normal day. Until you remember that it isn't.
I was FaceTiming with my mom and sisters last night and we were talking about how, as uncomfortable as it is to say, there's some perverse solace in the fact that my grandpa died last winter and didn't live to see this. He had chronic, severe heart and lung trouble, was in and out of nursing homes, and his #1 past time was worrying about "his girls." If covid didn't kill him, his concern for our well-being and sense of helplessness in the face of this (and his anger at Trump) surely would have. He depended on our visits, and my mom's daily check-ins/caretaking, and the thought of him navigating this alone is too much to think about. He had been in such poor health for so long, that every time I left him I knew it could be the last time and I made sure to put all the love I had into my hugs and words. So even though I didn't make it up to Bellingham on the night he died in time to say a final goodbye, I still got to be with his body in the moments after, and stand in the peace of knowing he knew how much we loved him and that he wasn't alone in those last moments. I'm so grateful that we got to have a funeral for him, and celebrate his life. My heart has been really heavy thinking of all the grandkids and grandparents who aren't going to get those same graces.
My grandpa died right before Christmas, and he loved singing Christmas songs. I've had this one stuck in my head the last few days, despite all the signs of spring outside my window.
Someday soon, we all will be together, if the fates allow
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
If you're lucky enough to be quarantined with people you love, please give them a hug for me.
Alison
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Recommended Reading:
Bill Gates: Entire country needs to shut down for 6-10 weeks to effectively fight coronavirus (in case you missed Bill on CNN, you can watch the Town Hall here): "Bill Gates cautioned Thursday night that “there is no middle ground” in the fight against the novel coronavirus, calling for a coordinated effort to effectively shut down normal life across the United States to stop the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the long-term economic impact.The Microsoft co-founder is traditionally careful not to delve into politics, but the question was clear reference to the president’s stated goal to return the country to normal by Easter Sunday, April 12, a little more than two weeks away. “No, it’s not realistic,” Gates said. “The numbers are still going up.”
Take Steps to Counter the Loneliness of Social Distancing: “It’s not about finding more time, it’s about making the time we have available better quality. Eliminate distractions when talking — no multitasking. A five-minute conversation when you have someone’s full attention can make a big difference to how a person feels,” he said. “The sound and tone of a person’s voice provide rich input into how someone is doing"
The debate over ending social distancing to save the economy, explained: "At the core of the debate is perhaps the most stunning and dangerous abdication of presidential leadership in the modern era."
Why Widespread Coronavirus Testing Isn’t Coming Anytime Soon: The best explanation I've seen recently of how we got into this mess. Widespread testing is the only way we're going to get out of this - and our inability to have a coordinated, federal approach to testing is the reason the US is in a worse position than any other developed country on earth. There are outbreaks now in several major cities, something that didn't happen in China, Italy, or Spain - and we now have more cases than any country in the world.
The coronavirus could devastate poor countries"Uganda has more government ministers than intensive care beds."
The Biggest Distance-Learning Experiment In History: Week One"As schools transition to remote learning, existing inequalities are being exposed: Over half of the nation's public school children live near the poverty line - and an estimated 12 million lack broadband internet access at home."
Protecting Native Elders in a Pandemic "These are the people who fought on the frontlines to withstand American assimilation. They fostered our languages and our traditions. They carry within them stories and memories that will fade when they pass, precious fragments of their tribe's collective story."
Things I saw that made me feel better/less alone:
"One thing I've learned so far in quarantine is that my husband refuses to microwave anything for 45 seconds, he always does 44. When I asked him why, he said, "For Obama." -@kendragarden
If I look out my window, I see a flag waving at the top of the Space Needle that says #WeGotThisSeattle --- seems like a HIGHLY questionable slogan when you're at the epicenter of a global pandemic?
"Emails now be like I hope you are staying safe, sheltered in place, stocked with toilet paper, and healthy during these absolutely unprecedented, wild, chaotic, terrifying times. Just wanted to follow up -" -@_chismosa_
"Dad can't got the mosque due to the pandemic, so Tofu accompany him five times a day." -@fahmitsu
Covid-19 Quote of the Day:
"In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing
About the dark times"
-Brecht
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