Some Sunny Day

This time of isolation wears on a lot of people.  The uncertainty.  The chaos.  The not knowing what will happen once the recommendation for isolation is over and business can resume.

The fact is, there is no cure or vaccine for the Covid-19 virus.  Yet.

The best thing is to try to stay out of the cross hairs.  But that is not something everyone can do for one reason or another.

Perhaps they have been deemed 'essential'.  Perhaps their landlord is still demanding the rent money, so they have to go to work.  Perhaps they have dependents they are caring for so they must venture out to buy needed supplies.

And no one knows what society will look like, how it will function once things do resume.

We are somewhat better off here in Canada with a leader who - for all his faults - is trying to keep folk from going bankrupt or homeless.  No, he's not 100% successful in what he's doing, but the provincial premiers are not always doing much to help, either.  Things like healthcare are in the provincial domain, not the federal.

People who are marginalized, homeless, dealing with addiction issues, single parents trying to care for and home school their children are under a heavy load.  People with elderly parents who are in long term care and locked down are unable to visit or ensure that their fragile parents are actually being cared for properly.  It is a fact that there has been a very high toll amongst that population.

I have the privilege of removing myself from society right now.  Doug does all the out-of-the-house errands and I have only been leaving the house to walk in the neighbourhood, keeping physical distance from anyone else I might see on my route.  I have twice met with others with social distance measures.  But otherwise I am content to stay home and out of the range of the virus as much as I can.  I am well aware of that privilege and that not everyone has it.

Some people blithely say that we all need to get the virus so we can develop herd immunity.  The downside to that recommendation is the death toll that will happen to get us there.  So the scientists and researchers are scrambling on several fronts - trying to find a treatment for the virus, not just the symptoms, which are varied and wide ranging, and a vaccine that will protect everyone without the death toll of getting to herd immunity the 'natural' way.

In the meantime it is spring here (finally!)   The trees are beginning to leaf out, the plum trees have blossoms, flowers are beginning to grow, not just warily poke their heads above ground.  And we finally have some lovely sunny days.

We need to get through this time.  We will best do that by remembering we are all in the same storm of this pandemic and those of us who can, need to withdraw from unnecessary social interactions.  If we need to go out, one way to help protect ourselves is to wear a mask and remember to clean it, our hands and everything we have touched while out in society as soon as we get home.

Feeling lonely?  Facetime someone.  Pick up the phone and talk to family or friends.  Participate in a guild Zoom meeting.  Be kind.  To everyone.  If you possibly can.