Just a soothing afternoon at the park

Reading a book about a libriomancer ("Codex Born", second book by Jim C. Hines).

• A little dog's tail wagging wildly as he meets a new friend, one that's 2x its size.
• Three friends playing frisbee (hope it and their hands are freshly washed)
• A sketchy, windowless, aggressive-sounding van hostilely tailgating another car around the park. (Dude needs to go to Darrell's Muffler, BTW.)
• Sipping a non-alcoholic CBD beverage
• Some guy talking loudly on his phone complaining how his side girl's ex-bf was stalking him at the Max station, hoping it didn't escalate and bring him 'out of retirement'.
• Familiar sounds like a kid's laugh, two people's hushed conversation, the not-so-occasional train horns.
• A father telling his 5 y.o. that 'softball is for girls and drunk guys' and getting slightly annoyed when the kid didn't want to run the bases anymore.
• And the sun shining on my face (bonus points if you know the movie reference)

Checks FB

• Confirms shtuff is still going down about the globe
• A repost of a tweet saying "When Trump sends y’all $1000 and you’ve been saying ‘HES NOT MY PRESIDENT!’ You be sure you send that money back". Three Likes. Unfollows 'friend'. SMH.
• Someone's funny meme, not about cv19.

Walks home, locks door, closes blinds and flips on Firefly on Hulu.

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Getting weird out there. Be kind to each other.

It may be overly simplistic but seems like folks are in different stages of grief, though the Kubler-Ross scale might not be sufficient for the current global situation. Not linear, less U shaped, more squiggly line & multiple cycles through. I hope we can all find ways to help each other get to the right side of the curve.

• New Relationships
• New Strengths
• New Patterns
• Hope
• Affirmation
• Helping Others
• Loss Adjustment

 

For context: The world is gripped by the global spread of the infectious disease, Covid-19, Coronavirus. Italy's healthcare system is under immense strains and have suffered many casualties. They're digging mass graves in Iran. Most countries have closed their borders, including Mexico and Canada. Testing in the USA is extremely inadequate. It's highly likely infected people with no symptoms are walking around. All bars and restaurants have closed; only takeout is permitted. All public gatherings are limited to 10 or fewer people. People have been hoarding toilet paper, milk, and other dietary staples. Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes are virtually unavailable, some people have been trying and succeeding in price gouging for these essential items. On 3/19, the Multnomah Country COVID-19 response teams has started soliciting donations of N95 masks, nitrile gloves, and other items from the general public (link). We're in the very early stages of this 'thing'. It's likely to get much worse due to lack of testing, long timeline for a vaccine (if it works), and lack of quality leadership to arrest the spread. Life is forever changed around the world.