Our city, county, and state have been under a shelter in place order due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the past three weeks but it seems much longer.  All non-essential businesses have been ordered to shut down.  This includes restaurants, beauty salons and supply stores, barbers, retail, and others.  Grocery stores, including convenience and liquor stores are still open.   City, county, and state parks are closed.  Churches are closed.  For the first time in our nation’s history, Christians will not be celebrating Resurrection Day (Easter) together at church.  It’s history being made.

I feel almost ashamed to admit that I haven’t been affected much by it as I have been deemed an “essential worker” due to my employment at the hospital.  In fact, other than a slight toilet paper scare, life has been somewhat easier for me.  There are far fewer people on the road making traffic conditions really light.  In fact, it is 1:30pm as I write this and there traffic overlay on Google looks absolutely surreal.  More history being made.

I’ve noticed other “benefits” of the stay at home order; people walking more, bicycling, especially families.  They can’t go see their friends so they have been forced to spend time together.  I think that’s a pretty good thing.  I feel really bad for the folks that have been laid off, or lost their jobs because of this pandemic.  But I can’ help feeling that when we come out of this on the other side, they will get new and better jobs if they don’t get their old job back.  It’s what happened to me last time I got laid off.

For now I will just keep reporting to work at the hospital, wear my mask and gloves when I go out of my office, and clean up real good when I return.  I have been trying to limit my interaction with doctors and nurses who tend to COVID patients.  I have an elderly mother-in-law living at home with me.  I don’t want to bring anything home to her.  However, I can’t avoid all interaction with the doctors and nurses so I just do my best to clean up afterward.

History is seldom fun when you are living it.  This year will go down in the history books for sure.  I hope China’s role is remembered well and remember correctly.  But we’ll all be able to say, “I was there during the great pandemic of 2020”.  Hopefully we’ll all be able to say “I survived”.   My prayer for everyone.