Perishable

If there is one thing that has been a running theme through this time of pandemic, it is this;..that we are perishable.

I do not personally know anyone who has died from the coronavirus, but I know people who have lost loved ones. 

We are being forced to examine our lives and face the fact that everything is perishable.

Some people cope with the stress and being at home by deep cleaning their houses.  Some have planted gardens, or taken up baking bread.

Some of us question the size of our stash - both the yarn (raw materials) and the product.  I, for one, have plenty of both.  I question why I keep making more when there is already a glut of textiles available.  And who will be able to afford to buy hand made textiles?

I am also old enough to have stash yarn that is beginning to show signs of aging - and perishing.  So again I feel pressure to not let that yarn go to 'waste' but to use it to make something useful before it ages out entirely.

After we return to some kind of 'normal' there are several ways we, as humans, could go.  We could learn the lesson that more for the sake of more is actually kind of silly.  Maybe we will stop competing to see who can spend more, buy the biggest house, the most expensive car, have the most jewelry.   We could stop flying half way round the globe en masse.  We could live more thoughtful lives.  We could waste less, recycle/reduce/reuse more.

We can work at forging stronger bonds between people, accepting folk for who they are, regardless of skin colour, religion (or not), ability and talent.  We could focus on helping everyone not just survive, but thrive. 

One of the fastest ways to stimulate the economy is to increase the minimum wage but it seems big corporations are hell bent on having the stimulus money go directly into their coffers before it runs through the fingers of people who are in some cases desperate for food and shelter.

Today's New York Times front page lists just 1000 people who have died from Covid-19 in the US.  I feel ill when I use the word 'just' because that is a tiny reflection of the 100,000 people who have died in that country.  So far.  And yet people are refusing to wear a mask or maintain physical distancing because the pandemic is a Dem hoax or something something gazpacho.

Other countries are experiencing similar difficulties with some people considering themselves above the recommendations.

But the bottom line here is this:  we are all perishable.  But we are all valuable - to someone.  Even those toting guns, demanding the economy be opened up are valuable to someone else.  For those people recommending that we all just jump into the public and get herd immunity as quickly as possible, never mind how many millions would die, I invite them to go first to show us how it's done.  How 'safe' it is.  How 'mild' the coronavirus is.  Prove to me it is 'just' the flu. 

I have the privilege of being able to stay home.  I always was an introvert so staying at home is not a particular hardship to me.  So I can remove myself from the line of transmission.  If and when I do need to go out (I have medical/self-care appointments this week) I will wear a mask.  I will clean the mask, my hands, my keys when I get home.  I will maintain physical distance or wear a mask when I can't.  Like for the aforementioned appointments.

Yesterday a friend came to visit and we sat outside, at either end of a long table we have in the carport for dealing with parcels.  It was great to have that in person visit, but we were both very careful about maintaining distance.  And even though I would have loved to give her a hug, I am saving hugs for when it is safe again.  For both of us.

We will go soon enough.  Let's not hasten the end date by ignoring the recommendations of safe distancing, mask wearing, washing hands etc.