Two Weeks Inside: One Day at a Time and Appreciating Where You Are

It’s now been eighteen days since I last taught and thirteen days since six Bay Area counties, ours included, ordered shelter-in-place orders. Two weeks of N working in the office/guest room, while Rebelle Harmony stomps around the house looking for mischief and wondering when she can see her newly-adopted brother/friend, Bijan. Where would my mind be without our weekday 10:00 AM-12:45 PM meeting (not on Zoom, but in real life!) with Aaron and Bijan. Aaron is a teacher and father who lives up the street. Bijan is Aaron’s three-and-a-half year-old boy. Rebelle Harmony has quickly taken to the daily Bijan time. It has been wonderful for both of our families during this shelter-in-place chaos.

Over the last two weeks, most of the country has followed the Bay Area in sheltering-in-place. Looking at the U.S. Map, only the least populated and most stubborn states (the South, the Southwest, Texas and Florida) are continuing to let their citizenry frolic about during the pandemic.

From the NY Times:

This means at least 229 million people in at least 26 states, 66 counties, 14 cities and one territory are being urged to stay home.

When we say we are lucky, we usually say it out of a brief glimmer of awareness. We are very lucky. We have savings, jobs, a house, food and shelter. Our life in the Bay Area is only possible because of N’s job and income. My teaching income, with another moderate-income job wouldn’t have allowed us to…