The lock-down blues

         It started with an email from a friend saying he was trying to map out where they’d go this weekend. Made sense. Clicking on the accompanying attachment revealed a floor plan of their house. It took a moment, but I got it!!! In our new Lock-Down way of life, you gotta leave room for some humour.
         Meanwhile, a couple of you have noticed I've been posting more often to this blog (typically, I'm a once-a-week guy, on Sundays). You're right: hey, I'm a writer with time on my hands. Gotta write!
         Don’t know about you but I’m starting to feel like a prisoner in my own home. It’s occurred to me this place I used to call “home, sweet home” is becoming “institution, harsh institution”. Seems like it’s out to get me. We’re being warned to use disinfectant to wipe down any of the surfaces in our homes that we might come into contact with. Isn’t that everywhere? (Well, except the ceiling.) Otherwise, the virus may be lurking there, ready to pounce out and spring upon us. How am I supposed to feel relaxed at home, knowing that? And we’re being told that if we are being diligent and wearing gloves when we do venture outside, be sure to launder the gloves as soon as we come back in. Geesh!
         Being a guy who lives alone (except with my two rescue pups, Molly and Macy), it does get a little “close” when you’re facing Lock-Down Hell. I’m healthy as a horse but you start imagining conditions (like when I sneezed a while ago; Relax! I had to remind myself that I have allergies and sneeze all the time. This is normal.). And forgive the drama (I am, after all, a writer) but it’s not too far a stretch to think of this house being possessed by an evil demon deep within it, ready to burst out at any point in time and sting me! OK, OK, I'll back off.
         Hey! I even went looking for my will the other day (you know, just in case) and, when I found it and realized it was way out of date, I began writing a new one. Should have done that some time ago but it’s taken COVID-19 to wake me up to get this done now.
         CNN just sated, “There is no metaphor -- earthquake, tsunami, whatever -- that captures the worldwide scope of what's going on here. It is a force majeure on a global scale. The world has stopped interacting. The machinery of society has been paused as governments, to save citizens, have put the entire system on hold indefinitely.” And to Bernie Sanders’ delight I’m sure, CNN adds, “After lawmakers demonized socialism earlier this year, governments, to save citizens, have put the entire capitalist system on hold indefinitely. Now they're relying on socialism.”
         And there’s this: the CNN reporter addressing these matters stated, “One way to deal with isolation: Get a dog. With everyone at home and plans on hold (five people stepping on each other in my small house), it seemed like a good time for a long-term project. So we got a dog. A pandemic support dog. And now we are six.” Well, I'm way ahead of that curve: I am three, have been for several years and believe me, without Molly and Macy and our jaunts to the off-leash park for fresh air and exercise, I’d be a basket case.
         Oh, speaking of the off-leash park, today, a lady there advised to keep drinking hot liquids. Apparently COVID-19 typically enters the system through the mouth but hot liquids in your mouth can kill it. OK, I get we're dealing with an "infodemic of facts" permeating the atmosphere, but what the heck, I’m making a second cup of tea and letting the precautionary principle apply: if it’s easy to do, helps you feel better for whatever reason, then go for it! I’m just sayin’...
         One of the containment strategies I’m using is to turn off my news sources for a while. Not being silly and ignoring what’s going on, but with the various sources I have (because I do tend to be a news junkie), there is no getting away from disturbing facts hitting you 24/7. So I turn it off for a break, just to remind myself that while COVID-19 is everywhere, there is still a disease-free life out there too.
Somewhere.
Isn't there?
Sure hope so...
Stay Healthy.

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