A Rolling Fog

Since I have a public health background, I began watching the pandemic unfold early on. I had hoped against hope that we could prevent the current scenario. I realized I should start to prepare, just in case. Then a friend of mine met me for coffee in early March, and told me her concerns as a medical professional. I began to tremble. The waves had met the shore for this thing, and I had to act quickly.

So I went to grocery stores each day and tried to figure out what I might need, should supplies become an issue. There were some things I did not anticipate becoming hard to get (flour, yeast; and as someone who bakes, this distressed me, but I surmounted that challenge).

I became fearful for my kids in school, and for myself, and for my elderly parents on the other side of the country. I did what I could to prepare them.

Eventually, I settled into a routine of getting groceries delivered, and managing the kids’ online schooling as best I could. I set up an area of the garage to “quarantine” deliveries. And for some time, I was riding on pure adrenaline.

Then that came crashing down, as I was tasked to write about COVID for work, and it began affecting my dreams. I entered a kind of fog. My fiction writing suffered. Ultimately I began feeling unpleasant. So I decided to make a change, and begin structuring my days, and adding back in physical exercise. I have since settled into a healthier pattern, and maintained communication with my relatives and friends online in various formats.

There have been efforts on social media to keep people up to date in the greater neighborhood. I don’t really participate in those so much. I focus on my immediate neighborhood. My friends up the lane and I have been exchanging food treats. I’ll text them to see if they want something. And I’ll leave it on the patio for them to come and pick up, a form of “contactless pickup” in my own style.

We all check in on each other via text through the week. I’m very active on social media, as I’m an author and science writer. I check in on people nearby and around the globe, and they do the same for me.

Because if this has taught us anything, it’s that we really are all connected. Let us share in the joy of humanity both near and far.

I’ve become frustrated by the population density.  …… But I do see the interconnected nature of people here in San Diego, and that is a valuable trait. I would hate to leave my network of friends up the lane, and the community I’ve joined. Plus, I now really appreciate the year-round produce we have here. A lot of folks don’t have the same access to that. We are lucky to live here. Plus, we have so much sunlight. Even if we might feel foggy during all this, we still, by and large, can experience the glory of the sun, and enjoy this mild climate. It chases fog away both inside and out.