April 18, 2020: More than a Month into the Pandemic

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April 18, 2020 . Written during the height of the pandemic when everything possible is closed, no one is working and fear is all around us.

Some day a long time from now we will look back at our social distancing that was needed to stop the spread of the virus.
Some day a long time from now we will look back at our social distancing that was needed to stop the spread of the virus.

We are deep into the thick of it now, April 18, 2020, this unexplainable, mutual pain that the entire world is facing.  It’s nothing like anything anyone living in the world has ever experienced, except that one guy in Spain who survived the Spanish flu and then Covid-19.

I haven’t been able to post blogs because it’s honestly too depressing.  Every day that we all go through this feels like the last one, there is no Friday night, there is no going out, there is nothing except the confines of our cellblocks.

I was admonished by Mary about wiping down my counter at my co-working space. Being able to work here and not at home has made me feel much more normal these days. April 18, 2020
I was admonished by Mary about wiping down my counter at my co-working space. Being able to work here and not at home has made me feel much more normal these days.

I have great empathy for people who are spending this mandatory quarantine in tiny apartments. God, that would be so tough, to not be able to get away and have privacy.  For me, I have this spare bedroom with the big view of fields and Route 2 going up toward Shelburne Falls.

It’s April 18, 2020. These are days when people have a lot of time on their hands but no inspiration. I thought I would be able to write a book about my father during this time, but it’s slow going and my collaborator isn’t that inspired either. I haven’t been able to write more than a couple of pages.

Spicy tofu, cabbage, bok choi and rice made the night better.
Spicy tofu, cabbage, bok choi, and rice made the night better.

One thing that was satisfying yesterday was coming home and doing fitness exercises with weights.

Getting a little sweaty doing the exact same exercises that we do with Steve at the Body Shoppe felt good.

Cooking a spicy tofu dish and getting it to be crispy was satisfying, in fact, that’s the one bright spot–I feel like we are eating as well as we ever have during this period.

But the main thing I want to convey about life under lockdown is that it WILL be over. I will read this blog post in six months and I will remember this. But it will have passed, life and stores and concerts and getting together with friends will return. Normal life might not include so many handshakes, but now we can bump elbows….it’s not a big loss.