Things Seem Surreal

I have always known that life can change in a heartbeat, but I have never seen it up close and personal until now.

Have you noticed the news headlines are no longer about the upcoming election or about the latest Biden gaf or the newest Bernie plan for Socialism?  Instead, it is Coronavirus everywhere.

With one stroke of our governor's pen, my son lost two jobs.  He was working pretty much full time at one restaurant and one night a week at another, both within walking distance from his apartment.  Both are closed.  He has applied for unemployment online but like most in my family, he would rather be working than not.

I live in the original downtown area of my town.  There are two neighborhood type bars and one Mom and Pop restaurant in my block, with another bar and another bar/restaurant in the next block.  Those bars have not been rowdy enough to cause me any problems living here, but now the streets are eerily quiet.  There hasn't even been any construction work going on across the street where a new building is going up, but that may be due to the rainy weather.  We shall see.

About the only activity I have seen in the street in front of my apartment has been a couple of teenage boys with their skateboards.

The cleaner I had was obtained through a county program.  I left messages concerning cancelling the service for my caseworker, but received no call back.  Finally I emailed and heard back within the hour.  It seems government workers are now working from home.

It will be interesting to see if the store shelves are restocked next week when I get my twice monthly grocery delivery.  Stores that have been open 24 hours a day are now closing overnight and reserving the first hour open in the mornings for the elderly and most vulnerable to the virus to do their shopping.  After the Great Toilet Paper Stampede, limits on the number of certain items have gone into effect.

The health clinic where I go for appointments with my regular doctor is now closed to walk-in patients and is doing online appointments only.  My appointment is not due until the middle of April, so I shall find out then if things have changed.  Personally, I would rather do an online appointment than sit in a waiting room full of sick people.

My grands are home from school.  Boston is bummed because she thinks both Prom and Graduation could be cancelled and that is a distinct possibility.  My college student grandson is home for Spring Break, but has been told that online classes are the norm for now.  I am relieved that my family is, for the most part, working from home and sheltering in place.
 
Life has changed for so many.  This may be over in a matter of weeks or it may last for months.  We just don't know.  Whatever happens, I pray you all stay safe and well.  We are all in this together.