A Down-and-Up Kinda’ Day
Love in the Time of Corona—Day 14
Yesterday was a milestone—the completion of two weeks since the night when I went to bed feeling funny and woke up with a temperature of 95.5 and a scary tightness in my chest. Two weeks ago, I had no idea what I’d be feeling on Day 14, or whether I’d be in a hospital instead of my apartment. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to be where I am.
That said, yesterday was hard. I read some tough news stories, tough because they talk about the long-term challenges we’re facing, not just with COVID-19 but with the economic fallout it’s going to cause, and then looking ahead at even bigger challenges like climate change. I mean, if we can’t get people to stay inside their homes, how are we going to get them to alter their behaviors and political stances significantly enough to save the planet?
The world hangs heavy these days if you let it, and I was definitely letting it. But then I found my people.
I talked to a friend who lost his job because of the virus, and he reminded me that there are opportunities and blessings in adversity—he was excited for this moment, because he was starting to feel stuck in his job, and now he gets to practice a growth mindset and chart a new course for himself.
I talked to another friend who has COVID-19, along with his partner, and wanted to check in. The past week, we’ve called each other to see how we’re progressing, and to keep our heads level.
I talked to another friend who just lost his grandfather to the virus—the first but likely not the last in my social circle to have a family member die in the next few months. He’s doing about as Ok as you’d hope he’d be doing, under the circumstances. And that probably goes for all of us.
Then I took a walk. It was the first time I’d left my apartment complex since getting sick, and I of course took extreme measures to avoid any contact with others. I went to the park across the road and claimed a nice patch of grass for social distancing, where I could safely watch the parents with their kids playing soccer, the couples walking their dogs, the palm trees ignoring that this pandemic is even a thing.
I called my dad, and we talked about politics and healthcare and the world. Told him I loved him. I called my mom, and we talked about relationships and life and my stepdad’s snoring. Told her I loved her.
I came home and treated myself to some Ben & Jerry’s, watched Schitt’s Creek and finished the rest of the work I needed to do. Then I took a moment to write this, because writing makes me feel better.
There will be lots of tough days, and the world’s problems won’t magically go away. But if we’re fortunate, there are things we can do—and people we can rely on—to tide us over until tomorrow.
Please RECOMMEND (clap) and SHARE this story, and always Keep It Movin.
Read other posts from the “Love in the Time of Corona” series by Sam Rosenthal:
- Love in the Time of Corona — Day 1
- Days 2 + 3, Purgatory
- Day 4, Powerless
- Days 5 + 6, On the Necessity of Everyday Heroism
- Days 7 + 8, Rose-Colored Realism
- Days 9 + 10, Stir Crazy
- Days 11–13, Turning the Corner?
Read more of Sam Rosenthal’s work at samrose101.com, check out his #businesscardstories collection, follow him at @SamRoseWrites and stay tuned for his debut novel, Walking Backwards.
