Got it. Thanks, Celine.
Well, I don’t mean to sound alarmist but it’s time to sound the alarm.
Have you seen what’s been happening in Italy? And now in France and in California?!
This video premiered on YouTube on March 15. I saw it yesterday morning and I posted it on my Facebook account:
A friend of mine from the UK shared this written on March 10 and I reposted on Sunday:
I’ve also shared this incredibly long and informative essay from Dr. Asaf Bitton, Executive Director of Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with MANY of my friends...but's too long to post here. Check out this article he wrote for the WBUR.ORG on March 14...it's basically the same important message.
But,damn... it's all just mind blowing.
I talked to my best friend in Boston last night; she was irate that another friend of ours had been in New Orleans over the weekend ‘gallivanting’ around the city, going to bars, restaurants and museums, potentially spreading the virus like CRAZY. To my bestie I replied, ‘Well, I’m not going to confront people like you do - I can’t tell her how to act’. But this morning, I did just that. I didn’t TELL my local Pittsburgher pal that she SHOULDN’T be going to the coffee shop, but I let her know MY STRONG opinion that I believed it was socially irresponsible to go and she should STAY AT HOME.
Ugh. I’m a Libra! I’m trying to see both sides of this pandemic, trying to maintain a balance you know? But there IS NO BOTH SIDES now. There is only one thing we can do… STAY AT HOME unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.
But what about the food store… is that necessary? With my husband, I decided it was. We bought as much food as we could to stock up for a week or so. But what happens when/if we are told we can’t leave our homes? How do we get our food then? And what about people’s livelihoods? What about all the service industry folks that are losing jobs and income they count on to pay rent, bills, insurance, etc… what about all the artists (everyone at off the WALL, all the actors, dancers, creators, designers, directors) with the income from those shows now gone, as with all the other theaters, art spaces, community spaces, music halls across the region (and country)? The effect this is having and will continue to have on our morale, our spirit, our economy and our future is ENORMOUS!
And the death rate. That will also be enormous.
I don’t have an answer for what to do if you lose your job for staying at home or when you lose that income because the bars and restaurants are closing and no one is going out. I don’t know how the most recent stimulus bill or slash of interest rates (so far nothing?) will help those in need right now. And our president is DUMB AS S$%T.
What I do know is that if we stay at home, we can slow down the spread of the virus. Staying home… there are so many things to do! Like reading a book, watching a movie, writing the story, play or screenplay you’ve always wanted to, painting, writing a letter, organizing your closet, making soup, doing some yoga, taking a nap…these are all GREAT things to do! And if you’ve got kids at home (god bless you), there seem to be lots of resources being made available online.
Ideas for Quarantine with Kids
And to top it all off…I never thought I would say this BUT… I am grateful for Facebook and all the social media apps for sharing messages of hope, sharing messages of concern and sharing messages that make me laugh...like Celine's. Thank you, Celine.
Stay safe, stay connected, stay positive and stay at home. And reach out to your friends and neighbors if you need ANYTHING. We are all in this together.