Skip to main content

Blogging in the Age of Pandemic

Pandemic

What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath —
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love —
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
Lynn Unger


During this immediate time, we seem to be living in an alternate reality.  We now throw around phrases and words such as "social distancing", "self-isolation"' "herd immunity", "quarantine" "pandemic", "Covid 19"' and "Corona Virus" as if we were tossing bread crumbs to the birds.  Many, many people are not working, schools are closed and children home, Moms and dads becoming hesitant teachers, constant snack providers and sometimes upholders of truth and justice in small time squabbles among the ranks.  Days seem long.  Worries over the nation's and our personal economies begin to sneak into our thoughts.  

In spite of all this, there are acts of kindness and courage. Our healthcare workers are understaffed and oh so short of supplies.  They are our newest heroes. Home sewers are making masks by the thousands. We have young neighbors with children who never fail to ask if we need groceries when they are going to the store or any help at all. There is humor to be found on social media, memes that make us laugh for just a minute, videos that are parodies.  Our friends are on social media, checking in, letting us know they are safe.

Life for us here in our home is very much the same as always.  We are retired.  We read, watch television and often movies from our friends, NetFlix, Amazon Prime, and Brit Box.  I am using this time to resurrect my blog.  It has been fallow since 2016.  A dear friend of mine has encouraged me to blog again.  I am moving my blog here to Blogger with a new look.  I will gradually move my old entries from the old platform to this one.  I hope you will join me on this journey.





Comments

  1. You are MY Superhero! You are doing what you do best and though you won't agree that is sharing yourself. By sharing yourself in our community you have built a tribe that would walk through fire for you. I don't think many people in life can say that....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ahh, Dana .... Thank you so completely for the ways you invite me into your life.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love that you are writing again and love you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the poem and your words of wisdom.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely poem, and nice to read your words of wisdom which apply to us all right now.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Surreal

S urreal is the only word I can think of for this past Friday, Good Friday, only the second time we have left the house in four weeks.  The first time was for The Great Brit/TGB (my husband) to see a spinal neurosurgeon. Yesterday’s outing was for a follow-up MRI and X-rays. My sweet neighbor had made us quilted face masks with a place to insert a filter.  We wore them to our appointments. Photo When we arrived at the four-story medical building, there was a check-in station outside the door. Our temperature was taken, we were asked a series of questions. Have you been out of the country? Have you traveled to New York, NewJersey or Connecticut in the last 48 hours? Have you been on a cruise ship in the last 48 hours? Unless someone who has lived under a rock for the past two months or is insane or certifiably stupid would answer “yes” to any of those questions?  We had our temperatures taken, hands sanitized and were admitted. There were paper masks available.  I assu

You Say "Toe-Mah-Toe"

“The name “shortcake” is derived from an old English cooking definition of short which referred to something made crisp with the addition of fat. Shortcake is a crisp, crumbly cake made from butter which is how it got its name.” Yesterday the farmers market was giving away strawberries. Two huge boxes were one dollar each. The berries were very ripe and just beautiful. Strawberry season is always a big deal in this part of Florida. Florida is the second-largest strawberry producing state following California. Strawberry season runs, generally from December until April. Depending upon the weather, it will often last through May as it has this year. Now Strawberries from California will begin arriving. When I returned home, I showed them to the Greek bread and told him that I was going to make strawberry shortcake. I asked him if he knew what shortcake was and if they had it in England. He replied that he had never heard of shortcake and did not remember ever eating strawberry