Tiny Fig Leaf

This morning’s paper brought the news that all non-essential services will be shut down starting tomorrow morning. We are all being told to shelter in place for three weeks. To be honest, our daily life hasn’t changed that much, but not feeling free to do things seems to make us want to do them all the more. I thought this morning as I got out of the shower that I should get a new squeegee for the shower door. Then I
reminded myself that I have been telling myself that every morning for at least three years, yet still the same old squeegee is in our shower.

I spent the morning canceling appointments . Obviously this is moot, but I felt the need to connect with the manicurist,  the women at the Pilates studio, my friend Caroline who cleans our house and our dear Kathy.

Several people have offered to bring us groceries but we have decided to see how long we can keep going with what we have in the house. We may have some strange meals, but it will give us something to do... There is no need to panic and buy up all the food depriving others who really need it. Maybe by the time we run out of toilet paper, the leaves on our fig tree will have grown enough to be of some use....

Will and Peter came by with a bag of goodies from Dana and Jim’s aborted holiday, and I had a bag of oranges from our tree for them. Will and I stepped one at a time to the demarcation line on the fifth front step. I left my bag of oranges, stepped back then he collected the oranges and left the bag of goodies. It all seemed so absurd, yet it seems that if the powers that be are mandating such draconian measures the least we can do is comply. Peter has no idea when he will go back to school and Will doesn’t know when he will graduate. There won’t be a ‘traditional’ ceremony.
“Probably means they’ll mail us our diplomas”, he muttered
“Isn’t that what they always do?” I said.

I know that we are all in the same boat, although it is almost impossible for me to get my head around that . Everyone has a story and it is amazing how a tiny virus can bring us all together, even as we are being ordered to distance ourselves. Check out grace's invitation on the Challenges page.