COVID week 5

I'm Still Here

Hello there friend, how are you? I hope you are well. I am writing on week 5 of the coronavirus crisis, day 35 of sheltering in place.

The state of Indiana is currently on a “shelter in place order” which has been extended until May 1. At that point the governor will decide if we need another extension of this order, or if it might be time to loosen some restrictions in the state. Indiana now has over 10,000 COVID cases, with over 500 deaths. Experts say that the number of positive cases will undoubtedly rise as more people are tested. It is important to remember that about 85% of people that become infected with the virus survive.

This week was crucial for Indiana in that it is expected that the virus will reach its peak. The governor of Indiana tightened the shelter in place order and advised against leaving the home, including venturing out to buy groceries.

As I found myself in need of groceries this week, I used a grocery delivery service. The grocery shopper delivered the items right to my door. I live in a building with several units in the same building; only residents and postal workers that have a key can gain access to the building.

I received a text message informing me that my groceries were outside my door, complete with a photo. I have no idea how they got into my building; they must have been let in by a courteous neighbor. For delivery that was to my front door, rather than the front door of my building, that is true customer service. I gave the shopper a large tip as a thank you for going above and beyond.

On a personal level, I have been home for 5 weeks and am healthy. As far as I know, I have not had the virus. I am happy to report that all of my friends and family are virus free as well.

As the country contemplates the need to open up the US economy, the need for more testing has become evident. It has been reported that there are perhaps as many as 50% more people who have had the virus without knowing it. The only way to tell if one has had the virus is an antibodies test. If I do have the antibodies in my system, I would be ready to go back to work. Without that test, it’s a risk that not many would be willing to take.

Oh, I forgot, I do have a piece of news to share-I am one year older than when last we spoke. That’s right, I had a birthday in a global pandemic. I am sure that millions have had birthdays in this time of sheltering in place. I received many texts, emails, and phone calls this year. It was nice to be remembered in such a dark and scary time in the world.

In truth, I think that many felt that I was alone, isolated, and shut off from the world as we are all sheltering in place. Despite the potential danger from the virus that could be lurking right outside my door, this birthday felt completely normal. I take a week of vacation from work every year, as a birthday gift to myself. It felt very familiar to me to be at home this week.

That being said, it was, at the same time, completely different than years past. In previous years I could go out and celebrate my birthday-getting my favorite meal as a birthday treat, going out shopping, going to my local cupcake bakery to get a free cupcake on my birthday, going to the movies, meeting loved ones to celebrate, etc. All of that was an impossibility this year. That made my birthday feel surreal.

Still, I made it the best birthday I could in the current situation. I got some pizza from a near pizza place, which provided free “no contact” delivery to my home, and I filled my day with some of my favorite movies. I spoke to friends, family, and had the best birthday. As I told a friend this week, “Birthdays come and go. But global pandemics, now they’re special!”

I bought myself a special present for my birthday: a face mask! As cities begin to open, many are requiring residents to wear a mask. Here's where I purchased mine:

https://www.workplacepro.com/O-MASK

Face masks can also be found on Etsy, in a variety of styles and materials:

etsy.com/featured/everyday-supplies?ref=secondary_hero

I have continued my regimen of self-care and comfort. As I did on my birthday, I have filled my week with some of my favorite movies. I also have two new trials for streaming content, so I have indulged in watching new documentaries, tv series, movies, and more.

I continue to watch The Great British Baking Show on Netflix. I have seen this season before, but as I watched it years ago, I cannot remember who won! I have also been coloring in a coloring book, which is a peaceful endeavor for me.

I have also read one of my favorite books of recent years, “Gmorning Gnight” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer of Hamilton. A few years ago, Miranda began to write messages on his a Twitter account, wishing people a good morning and a good night. The messages varied in topic, including small pep talks, words of encouragement, and more. Here’s an example of these messages, which were posted this past week:

As the messages were so popular, Miranda published an entire book of them! I highly recommend it. You can read one set of messages per day, or read them all at once, however you prefer. Available now, in hardback, audiobook and ebook:

penguinrandomhouse.com/books/603592/gmorning-gnight-by-lin-manuel-miranda/

Comfort is something that continues to remain a concern in these times. The evening news is full of feel good stories full of hope, resilience and survival. In fact, this is such a concern to people that the Hallmark corporation is showing Christmas movies every Friday night on the Hallmark Channel. That’s right, Christmas movies, in March and April, to bring a sense of comfort. If you are a Sirius XM subscriber, Hallmark has a channel that plays Christmas music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

I love Hallmark Christmas movies; I tune in every weekend in November and December to see their new movies. I am one that prefers Christmas movies and music at Christmastime. Yet, honestly, if it brings someone comfort to watch Christmas movies and listen to Christmas music, why not?!? We all need to find comfort right now, even if that seems to come in the unlikeliest of places.

As for me, I continue to reach out to friends and family, listen to good music, stream new content, write, color in a coloring book, and collect images of humor and hope to share with you. I hope our talks together, the images I share, bring you some comfort in such unprecedented times.

With that I leave you with some images and videos of hope and humor. Take care my friend. We will all get through this, together.