THE LIFE YOU SAVE ....

I’ve seen lots of memes on Facebook where the person posting them had never realized how inactive their social life was until they were put into this new reality of self isolation and found that almost nothing changed.  I have to confess, I am one of those.

We are supposed to curtail all congregating in groups – pretty easy for people who are lucky to manage a card game with neighbours once a year and haven’t been to a movie for six or seven years.  Our most common restaurant meal is a takeout pizza.  The most social thing I do is belong to the local Tourism Board and we meet once a month – except on the months that we don’t need to.  The only difference this COVID quarantine has made for me is that now I’m living my usual life for a purpose.

I don’t mean to make light of this.  This is serious stuff.  It is an actual life or death situation, and regardless of your age and pre-existing health conditions, with as many deaths as are being reported when we have barely set foot into what is going to be an prolonged period of catastrophe, the deceased are not all elderly with heart conditions.  There are doctors and nurses gone in the prime of their lives, there are children gasping for air in hospital beds.  There are just plain, regular people who couldn’t fight off a viral pneumonia.  Listen to what the medical and scientific experts are telling you – the life you save may be your own.

 I realize that we are extremely lucky to live where we live ... seven miles from town and a mile from our nearest neighbour.  Not that the virus couldn’t make it here – I do have to go buy groceries and I have family responsibilities that can’t be put off.  Plus, I had absolutely no idea of how many times I touched my face or rubbed my eyes until it became a forbidden practice.  I have tried to change my ways, and there’s a whole lot more washing going on around here these days.

There is also a whole lot more news watching going on as well.  It’s hard to find a balance between making ourselves aware of what we need to know and scaring the heck out of us just before bedtime.  Luckily I am accustomed to spending the hours between 1:45 and 4:47 solving the world’s problems, anyway.  I wish I could say it was refreshing to have a new one to deal with, but no, I still have lots of work to do on climate change ...

I am beyond thankful that the weather is supposed to warm up this week.  I will be getting out and walking again.  The dog (although he is unaware at this time how his walking fortunes are about to improve) is going to be overjoyed.  Heck, we might make it four miles instead of two!  I’ve got nothing but time!

And, as spring is actually here I will be shifting into gardening mode too ... outside time, fresh air, something to do.  All these things I look forward to every year but 2020 has upped the ante by about 500%.  I can’t imagine families living in city apartments. With the space and seclusion we enjoy out here in the boonies I feel like I’m the richest woman on the planet right now.

I also fear being nothing but a Facebook meme cliché by the time we emerge from this viral war.  You know the meme I’m talking about: the one where you start out slim, trim, and fit and end up a rolling butterball turkey?  Well, I made five pies and four dozen butter tarts today.

Better make that a six mile walk every day, Turbo!