Last night, California was given a shelter-in-place order. Today Andrew Cuomo, the Governor of New York has announced a 100% ban non-essential workers. Things are tightening up out there, with good reason. To quote Mr. Cuomo, "This is not life as usual."
In light of all these provisions, I reached out to an old friend last night. He is one of my closest, childhood friends and a whole lot smarter than me. Well, maybe not smarter, but he definitely works harder than me. Anyway, he is an emergency medicine pediatrician in the Pacific Northwest. I wanted to check and make sure he and his beautiful family were well. Thankfully, they are-- but he shared some realities.
First, he is very nervous. This is not something that I have seen in him before. It was quite clear that this was something very different.
Second, he believes that this situation is going to get exponentially worse by the day.
Third, the number of people that are nonchalant or willfully ignorant is disturbing and will be fatally dangerous.
Finally, it is important that people take the restrictions for Senior Citizens and medically-susceptible very seriously. That means, don't let your 80-year-old parents go to the store or pharmacy. Make store runs for them. Do not have grandchild visits with them. Take these precautions seriously.
All this goes back to the social distancing we are all trying to practice. And so, here is today's writing prompt:
Take some time to sit down and write a letter. My grandmother was a letter writer. While we were in college, she would send each of her grandchildren $5 (wrapped in aluminum foil) with a letter. Just a note to catch us up on things. Sit down, choose someone to write a letter to and share some thoughts. Reminisce. Think about some fun memories. Catch them up on the good things going on.
The idea is to break the isolation. Maybe write to someone you've been meaning to reconnect with. A lost friend. An estranged family member. Or maybe it is someone that you are still physically connected to, but you have been meaning to say something important to. Be mindful, take the opportunity to reconnect, rebuild and strengthen your relationships.
And maybe you'll never send this letter. Maybe you will. That is your decision to make. But write the letter and get those thoughts down on paper.
As always, be safe, be well. Stay healthy and wash your hands.