Like many of you, I’ve spent a lot of time in isolation lately. During this time I’ve tried to keep myself busy with different projects. (More on that later.) And like many of you, I’ve also spent some time reaching out to family and friends via email, text, social media, and phone.
One of my most loyal fans asked me why I hadn’t written anything about the coronavirus on my blog. He had two guesses:
- I write articles in advance
- There’s already enough information
He’s right on both accounts. My blog posts are written 3-4 weeks in advance. That means this is a special edition. Second, do we really need more hype about our current state of affairs? Probably not. That said, I’ll at least share how I’ve been coping with the situation.
Monitoring Long Before Lockdown
I saw this coming. I pay fairly close attention to the news. Beginning in late January, I started following the coronavirus closely. I’ve been monitoring the numbers, watching the trends, and studying how different countries have been dealing with the outbreak.
I’m not an alarmist, but I saw the problems coming head on as early as mid-February. Rather than getting. overly worried, I started taking more precautions at work, the gym, and other places that I frequent. In fact, I decided to stop going to the gym about five days before we started seeing shelter-in-place orders.
I continue to monitor the numbers. I’m not a professional, and there are a shitload of variables, but based on my own research and study, this is not a good situation. We should follow the social-distancing protocols to stay safe. Even then, I’m predicting longer periods of quarantine than we first expected.
Everything Changed Overnight
One day I had access to work, the gym, karate school, and just about any other place you can imagine. The next day everything changed.
It’s a bummer. I’d actually just gotten into a good workout routine. I was spending extra time in my karate classes. I was walking 4-6 miles a day. And bam! It all stopped. For the past few weeks, walking the dog has been my most regular form of exercise.
As for work, I’ll be teaching online next quarter. Although I’m technically savvy enough to teach online, it’s not my favorite mode of teaching. Oh well.
People cope with emergencies and stress differently. I get pissed off as hell over spilled milk, but I tend to remain very calm during major crises. So what have I been doing with my time? Music.
Since March 16, when Washington State first started taking social measures to slow the spread of the virus, I’ve produced about 15 new compositions for my Anderhill project. Creating music keeps me calm and grounded. Although I also love writing, it doesn’t have quite the same effect.
Why I’ve Stayed Quiet
I’ve remained quiet on my blog about the coronavirus for a few simple reasons:
- I’ve been busy with life: Like everyone else, I’ve had to go to the grocery store to stock my cupboards. Don’t worry, I didn’t hoard any toilet paper. I’ve had to spend time with my daughter who is now out of school. My online classroom shells had to be updated to be fully online next quarter. And I’ve made a lot of music.
- I don’t see the point: I’ve gotten a shitload of emails from businesses about the coronavirus. Many of those emails, quite frankly, are stupid. They’re coming from web-based only businesses. I’ve seen dozens of blog articles about the virus. Minimalists are loving it. It’s their time to say, “I told you so,” suggesting that we focus on the simple and important things in life. I don’t disagree with them, but I think it’s silly to use every holiday, world event, and crisis to argue a point.
- This too shall pass: In a year the coronavirus will likely be mostly forgotten. The world might become a slightly different place. Our economy may remain in trouble for some extended time. We’ll miss the ones we lost. But this too shall pass. Hopefully, we’ll all have learned some lessons.
A Final Word
I don’t like to get political on my blog, but I think this coronavirus crisis has been handled very poorly by our current U.S. administration. The problem was not taken seriously. It was called a hoax. Pandemic teams were not prepared. Tests were not ready. And our president has tried to sugarcoat everything while lacking good judgment, all for the sake of his own ego and the economy.
Then we were told that things could get back to normal by Easter? Don’t be stupid. We should all be isolating well past Easter. This virus is nothing to mess with. We are essentially in a time out. We’ll get through it, even if we have a buffoon as a leader. But we must keep doing our best to follow the guidelines that have been set.
Be strong. Be safe. Resist.
de
