Having been through Hurricane Katrina, I remember the tense feeling of waiting. We'd spent frantic hours making certain we had enough supplies: batteries, water, food, cash; and then the last minute decision to leave the city before the hurricane arrived.
The waiting seemed like the worst part; tense hours watching the news, listening in disbelief to tales of the devastation from the radio after we'd lost power from our refuge in Baton Rouge. It would be months before we were able to go home to a city drastically changed.
Hurricane Covid 19 feels a lot like Katrina. The frantic shopping and stocking up of supplies, anxiety as we couldn't find hand sanitizer or the right kind of cleaning supplies. (What is the deal with people buying all the toilet paper?)
Then, the waiting, the endless days, hours, and now weeks of waiting, with no end in sight. That may be worst part.
The devastation of Covid 19 comes in small, drawn out doses. The destructive power slowly growing over days and weeks, with again, no end in sight.
We fill our hours, wanting to be productive with the time on our hands. Some moments I enjoy these extra hours. Other times, I feel a sense of swirling panic. When will I be able to go back to my markets? Will life ever return to some semblance of normalcy?
Of course, I have no answer to these questions so I work hard at maintaining my equilibrium and trying new things.
I've always been wary of video, especially of talking or appearing on video, but it seems like the best form of communication now. I've been experimenting with Live Facebook feeds and I even started a Tarot card channel on Youtube.
I am trying not to blind myself and live in a state of fear. I am trying to make the best of an uncertain situation.
I am filming while Covid 19 slowly makes its destructive way through our lives.
I don't have a good answer or great advice for our situation. This is our new normal. Socialization via a web camera. I believe that we will come out the other side. I believe that we will return to some semblance of what we had before, even if I don't know when.
Please remember that I love you and I want nothing more than to give you the largest hug possible as soon as Hurricane Covid 19 has passed. Stay safe so we can meet again.
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