The backs of my hands are dry, tight, cracked, and maybe starting to heal up all due to more frequent hand washing. This was even accomplished in direct competition to my excessively oily skin, so no small feet. It feels strange, but I think that’s the new normal for a while now isn’t it? Things just feel strange. Social distancing and businesses closing or becoming extremely limited in services has made things feel strange.
I live in Scott county Iowa and we currently have very few confirmed cases of COVID-19. Now that’s confirmed, there could be a lot of people unconfirmed just living their lives so we must not let up on our new routines. Keep your distance, and wash your hands!
My youngest daughter had a piece of her art chosen to be displayed at the mall and because of the self quarantine we’ve been practicing, we’ve not been able to go see it. Well, in an exercise to show the kids that life isn’t completely changed outside our home, and to give them an easy test on how to behave outside the safety of our home during our new normal I thought we should go see it.
“Don’t touch anything and keep your distance from people” was our repeated mantra as we drove.
“Only touch the floor” was the one exception we gave. As we entered by the food court, knowing it was a farther walk but we could enter using the automatic doors and not have to touch a door handle, we are greeted by the eeriness of the new food court. All the chairs and tables are stacked up in the corner, half the restaurants already closed down, and just a few people either behind the counters or walking around.
Now back when Lent started I decided to fast from eating fast food, or basically eating food out in general. In light of the pandemic I have decided to forgo my Lenten fast and return to eating food out. I feel that is what Jesus would have wanted me to do in this situation, helping those food service workers struggling to stay afloat now in the restrictions that all restaurants and bars must only provide takeout in an effort to reduce groups of people congregating in large groups. To me a Lenten fast misses its intention when it ends up hurting another.
Well, I felt a strong pull to want to get something at the food court, but feeling an overwhelming sense of anxiety about my kids being out and dinner only needing to be heated up at home, we hurried on. I made a mental promise to order some takeout soon, and to tip generously.
Other than only about 25% of the stores being open, and the one time when my son absently used the handrail going down some stairs in the mall, the trip was uneventful. Things felt strange, but it’s a strange we need to try and get used to.
I did have one great moment of happiness yesterday. I strive on understanding things. Knowledge brings me comfort in times like this. I read up, try and get informed, and then I have a plan of action moving forward. Digging and researching about the Coronavirus was giving me the opposite effect from what I wanted. Between conflicting information to horribly pessimistic opinions, I was feeling more anxious and stressed about the whole thing.
So I logged onto Facebook and posted “In desperate need of some positivity, please hit me with some. Please? Thanks!” and received a flood of comments and posts. From just funny images, videos, and cartoons, to inspirational articles and words of encouragement. Feeling the love from friends and family at that time helped me tremendously that day, and helped me get through.
We are swamped with numbers followed by vague explanations to keep things sensational online and in the media, but having a small group of people come together just for me made me feel the love of God in this trying time and gave me enough to hold on and push through. Now, as we take it day by day hoping to crest over our flattened curve and bring back some of the old normal, I’ll try to be that light that I received yesterday and offer words of encouragement. And when I can pump some money back into the struggling local businesses.
