And so....it begins.

March 17th, 2020 - 8:00 pm 

     I just found out that the governor signed an executive order mandating no larger than 10 person gatherings, with very few exceptions. If you are out in public for any reason, you are expected to be no closer than six feet from any other person. Movie theaters, empty. Libraries, closed. All events, canceled. Restaurants are only able to serve take out, and only necessary businesses are allowed to stay open. Driving through towns feels like the remainder of the water pouring out of a hose, after the nozzle has been turned off. Life seems to slowly be coming to a stop. It’s all very bizarre to me. I understand the need to “Flatten the Curve”. To basically slow down the virus in hopes that as people do get sick, our medical system can handle the cases as they come. The other option is, being overwhelmed at one time with mass numbers, and not being able to provide treatment for everyone. Thus having to choose who gets medical assistance, and who has to suffer the consequences of no intervention. It does make sense to me, but it doesn’t make it any less surreal. Short of martial law, we are being told to stay within your own homes. Do not leave unless you have permission under the new Executive Order Number.....I don’t know. I feel like I have been planning for this, but wasn’t fully confident it would actually come. Yet here I sit, with no agenda for the foreseeable future, other than to stay home, and continue teaching my kindergartener to read. 

The writer in me finds this all very interesting. I’ve read so many dystopian novels, I can’t help but compare little pieces of my reality with various books I’ve read over the years. I never in a million years would have expected to be in my current situation, let alone making sure I have enough toilet paper and canned pears to get me through three weeks. 

The Enneagram Three in me is biting on her finger nails while pacing back and forth, trying not to slam her head into the wall. “WHAT THE HECK AM I GOING TO DO AT HOME FOR TWO PLUS WEEKS?!?!?!” Especially when the only people I have for company are five years old or younger. It’s really hard to be an “Achiever” when there seemingly isn’t much to accomplish. And lets be real, getting the laundry done, the math lesson finished, and dinner on the table are amazing things, but they don’t really fill a three’s bucket in the same way. 

The relational extrovert in me is freaking out a bit as well. Yesterday, I sat down and told my husband he was going to need to step it up. I needed to have some good conversations and it looked like he was the only one that was going to be able to supply them for me. (He’s very introverted, so I’m pretty sure he was dying on the inside the entire time I was telling him I wanted, no needed, MORE conversations.) He definitely deer in the headlighted me, before rolling his eyes, basically patting my head and said, “Yeah. Ok honey.” 

But seriously, we are living in crazy times right now. Though I have witnessed many things in my lifetime; the big scary, serious things all happened...somewhere else. I prayed, I grieved, I helped how I could. This however, is close. Too close. Too tangible. Too unknown. 

In J.K. Rowling’s fifth Harry Potter book. The “High Inquisitor” issues executive order after executive order. Order #25. Order #26. Order #27….Order #384….we know how the book ends, and the crazy inquisitor is carried off by a herd of centaurs. I’m pretty confident our outcome won’t be the same. Though I do feel like the mandate is seemingly justifiable right now, the precedent it sets has me a bit concerned. Or maybe it’s simply living with question marks hanging in the air. I guess we will all just have to move, INTO THE UNKNOWN. (yes, thank you Disney for giving us Elsa) 

I’m sure I’ll be back with more thoughts in the coming days. 

After all, I am an extroverted three that occasionally writes in her spare time….and it looks like I might have a lot of spare time coming my way.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“When the big things feel out of control…focus on what you love right under your nose.”
- Charlie Mackesy