COVID-19 Quarantine Day 90 - 3 Months

Three months.  That's how long COVID-19 has been effecting the lives of myself and my family.  At the beginning it was only little things like, maybe Mama shouldn't be going to Wichita or into stores for a while, more deliberate hand washing, rumblings and rumors about the virus around work, online, and on tv.  Then, less than 2 weeks later, in-person school was canceled for the rest of the school year and school only continued remotely and digitally.  People made mad rushes on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and soap.  I also couldn't get flour for several weeks on my click list.  Any time Michael or I would go out, we'd throw all of our clothes in the washer and shower as soon as we got home.  Then we'd take Clorox wipes (also became impossible to find at the store) and wipe down phones, wallets, door handles, car interior, light switches, everything we possibly touched while out or coming into the house.  We stayed home for weeks at a time without leaving our home or seeing anyone outside of our immediate family.  Now, 3 months in, things are relaxing a bit.  We go out more.  We don't throw everything in the wash the moment we get home or sanitize quite as much (we've learned it's more commonly transmitted through the air and breathing than on surfaces).  We, in our immediate family, at least, wear masks out in public.  Our volunteer quarantine times between going out and seeing friends and family is getting shorter, although we will do another hard 14 day quarantine when we come home from our vacation.  Slowly, life is returning to normal.  But I know life will never be the same.  Just like 9-11, some of the policies that start during this time will be around the rest of my life, I suspect.  I don't know what things will stick, but I'm sure something will.  I remember life before 9-11 when you could walk your family member right to the gate before they boarded their flight and watch the plane take off through the big, floor to ceiling windows.  I remember before you had to take your shoes off and have your hands swabbed for explosive residue.  I wonder what I'll remember from before COVID-19?  Time will tell.  It's surreal that this virus has been effecting our lives for 3 months now.  We've been fortunate, though.  We've only been inconvenienced.  And if that's the cost for more public safety, and for the safety or my loved ones, I'm fine with that.  Some may say that COVID-19 wasn't as bad as everyone thought it was going to be, and that we needlessly closed down states and our nation.  Some people may say that COVID-19 was the liberals way of effecting the 2020 election and that we carelessly risked the national and global economy.  There are many conspiracy theories out there.  But I believe the quick and sound action of our governor spared us from the horrors that were very real in New York, New Orleans, Italy, and Spain.  Just because we didn't see, first-hand, the devastation that is an overrun health care system, does not mean that it couldn't have happened if people had been careless.  I commend my fellow Kansans for, generally, listening to good advice and doing what they needed to to protect one another.  We may not be out of the woods yet.  We may never feel like we're completely out after an event like this.  But we have been lucky.  We have been fortunate.  We have been safe and healthy.  And though we've had family members who have gotten sick, they recovered.  We haven't lost anyone.  It's easy to be caulous to the numbers and say, look, it wasn't as big of deal.  The US only lost a little over 2 million!  With a population of 331 million, that's only 0.06%.  What a low number!  But if it had been your grandma, your uncle, your dad, your sister, who died, alone, on a respirator, and then you couldn't even be with them or the rest of your family for a funeral, I'm sure you'd have a much different idea of the effects of this virus.  If you personally knew a doctor or a nurse who got sick and died because they didn't have enough PPE and they were out, doing their jobs, protecting people every day, and it cost them their lives, you'd have a different opinion on the severity of this virus.  COVID-19 has changed our nation and our world forever.  It's been 3 months now.  I've been lucky.  Many others haven't.  We are living history.  (In more ways than one, I believe.)  COVID-19 will be in history books.  It's all so very surreal.  A new normal will set in eventually, things will be different, we'll remember how things used to be different.  I pray the human race moves forward in a way that makes life better from here, not just healthier, but that we all become better people for having gone through this.  ❤

Just a few things I've been thinking about as we hit the 3 month mark today.

Be good to one another.  ❤