Welp, we’re officially in a pandemic and it’s terrifying. Just like everyone is saying, this has been an unprecedented 48 hours. On Thursday, March 12, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to cancel a ton of events statewide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I had been planning a big trip to Long Beach to receive a state award with Paso Robles’ Recreation Department. But during my nail appointment Thursday morning, a few hours before I was supposed to drive down, the Governor’s order canceled the award event. City Rec called me and said they were already at the event but the hotel was sending everyone home.
Shortly after, the state entered what essentially was a lockdown to slow the spread of the virus and closed restaurants, shops and other “non-essential” businesses.
These are big, scary things that have never happened in my lifetime thus far.
Honestly, what I’m feeling is a lot like when our dog Penny died last year. The shock of too much change too fast.
It’s a constant feeling of being distracted and then suddenly super annoyed when someone or something interrupts that. Events I was WAY looking forward to getting canceled, me getting stuck in hours-long attempts to cancel last-minute hotel rooms and reservations and a steady stream of all-consuming news stories flooding every corner of my conscious.
And now, the schools are closing down.
I know this goes against the “be kind and grateful” mantra, but all the Instagram positivity of finding the rainbow in this storm really …. bugs. There. I said it. It’s like, can’t we just grieve the change for a minute?
I mean, I say that but then there was that one news story where an Italian neighborhood on quarantine played a concert together from their balconies. That’s just plain adorable.
Anyway, it just feels like what I said before – too much, too soon. Plans falling through and everything crashing into pieces. The stress of uncertainly. The fear of someone I know catching this.
Now that I’m writing it all out, I’m feeling a little better.
Thanks for making me write to you guys. 🧡