Pandemic
Log: Wednesday,
18th March 2020
Today, we took our dog into the
vet to get her glands released (I will spare you the details) because if we did
not, they are likely to get infected. Veterinarians, like most hospitals and
Emergency Rooms, have also cancelled all routine visits and procedures and are only
treating emergency needs.
As we walked into what is
normally a warm and inviting atmosphere, we were greeted with a sign on the front
counter. It was a very strange feeling to come face to face these words, even though
I have been hearing and getting acquainted with the term ‘social distancing’ for
a few days now.
What makes this notion hard to enact and come to grips with, is that fact that it is asks us to do the exact opposite of what we, as humans, do to deal with any crisis.
What makes this notion hard to enact and come to grips with, is that fact that it is asks us to do the exact opposite of what we, as humans, do to deal with any crisis.
The day after 9/11, a good friend
and I made our way down to within a couple of blocks from Ground Zero, and we spent
the entire day doing water runs for fire, police and other emergency service women
and men, who were working to find survivors and remove bodies.
We ran up and down those streets
all day long, collecting and passing out bottles of water donated by big companies,
small businesses, delis and ordinary people. There were many others like us who
volunteered because they needed and wanted to do something to help their city
in this dark hour.
The streets were lined with
people of all stripes; standing arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder - cheering
every service woman and man coming out of Ground Zero. I cannot count the
number of hands I shook or strangers who hugged me that day, or the number of
pats we gave and received as a show of solidarity.
I remember thinking - I have no
doubt our city will not only survive this reprehensible attack but we will come
back stronger than before. We will show the world that a cowardly group of men can
never break our will, our spirit, our unity and our sense of shared humanity.
In times of hardship, grief,
panic and fear we find respite and calm through comforting each other
physically. Couples hold hands, friends hug, grandparent’s stroke heads and we all
squeeze our little one tightly to our bosoms’ to reassure them that everything
is going to be okay.
We are being told that we must
not submit to our most innate human instinct, to reach out our hand to someone
in need, because doing so would be nothing short of catastrophic. Succumbing to
touch will only serve to prolong this pandemic and worse yet, spread the virus and
kill many more people.
More than words, it is these acts
of physical assurance that let people know that we are there for them, and that
we will stand by and support them us no matter how bad things get.
During this crisis we cannot. We will need to find new ways to comfort each other and navigate it.
