As I drove away from The Professor's home this evening, I noticed, once again, how many people are out and about. In singles, mostly, but some couples and families, all of whom were wanting to enjoy the freakishly warm weather. And in that particular neighborhood, it's not surprising. There's a park nearby, and the streets are wide and tree-shaded and the houses are cute and it's a good area to walk around in, even when the world is ending.
I was approaching a stop sign, and noticed two males and a dog coming close. They were still a little ways away, but I slowed to let them cross the road. And, involuntarily, I broke out into a huge grin--one of the males was a colleague of mine! We recognized each other at the same time, and his face bore an identical smile. I rolled down my car window and they stood about 8 feet away and talked for a few moments and assured each other we were keeping well, and I couldn't stop being delighted to see one of my coworkers, in the flesh, face to face.
Seeing my colleague today was a fantastic reminder--Our family, our friends, our co-workers, our favorite bartenders and baristas and pharmacists and receptionists and neighbors who we used to see far more often--all of them all still out there, hopefully safe trying to survive and live our lives as best we can until we are released from this strange alternate universe. We don't see each other, and can't often speak and right now can't hug or shake hands, but we are all still here. And god willing and the crick don't rise, we will be here when this ends. Let's try to hold on to that, if we can.
Also, today is Friday. What does this even mean anymore? I'm going to do my best to treat this like any other weekend spent at home--I'll try to combine laziness and productivity and Sunday night anxiety for a nostalgic, pre-plague like experience. I've started to refer to this plague as The Great Disruptor, but dammit, I didn't want to be disrupted. I liked my life and my existence and my routines and obligations, which gave my days satisfaction and structure. Nothing was perfect, sure, and perhaps all my life was simply a reflection of the trappings that come with late-stage capitalism, but you know what? I want that life back. It was mine, dammit. And now even Friday has lost all meaning.
Daily Indiana COVID-19 Counts:
Total Cases: 3,437 (up from yesterday's 3,039)
102 people have died.
Daily Gratitude:
It's spring, y'all.
Daily Funnies:
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