My dog is exhausted.
It's one of the unexpected side effects of the "social distancing" we're all doing. Dogs are experiencing, as one Facebook post called it, unprecedented levels of People Being Home. And it's wearing Lizzy out.
I feel somewhat exhausted by this COVID-19 situation, too. I've been trying to spend more time outdoors, get as much exercise as I can, keep things in perspective and get lost in a good escape novel (currently Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol").
I've also spent a lot of time on Facebook.
I've had mixed feelings about Facebook before this week. But days like these are what social media was made for.
Funny coronavirus/COVID-19 jokes. Sample schedules for kids who are going to be off school for the next three weeks or, God help us, longer. Words of inspiration.
Facebook has long been a great place for humor, and nothing has changed. Have you seen the weird video of Kermit dancing? He's on his second day of self-quarantine and his eighth bottle of wine.
Many of my favorite Facebook posts have to do with toilet paper - from suggestions that you knit your own to undercover videos of sales of black market TP and hand sanitizer.
The best: a straightforward recommendation superimposed on a single roll of TP.
"If you need 144 rolls of toilet paper for a 14-day quarantine, you probably should've been seeing a doctor long before COVID-19."
As the parent of a fifth-grader, I've greatly appreciated all the online resources people have shared - virtual tours of famous museums, free streaming classes, science-y videos of penguins taking a field trip and craft ideas. (I also like all the posts joking about the "24-day weekend" we're in the midst of experiencing.)
I don't want to imply that I don't recognize the severity of what's happening right now. Older adults and individuals with compromised immune systems (those with heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, asthma, undergoing certain types of chemotherapy) are at a higher risk of getting very sick. We need to pay attention to what is going on around us so we can respond appropriately.
And I'm very aware of the effect all this is having here in Hinsdale - for residents, the school and village boards, businesses, churches, nonprofit agencies, restaurants and, of course, medical professionals.
But sometimes too much bad news can be too much to bear. And so we need a laugh. Or some words of inspiration.
I wanted to close by sharing this beautiful poem by Laura Kelly Fanucci. I'm not sure which of my Facebook friends posted it, but I'm so glad they did.
When this is over,
may we never again
take for granted
A handshake with a stranger
Full shelves at the store
Conversations with neighbors
A crowded theatre
Friday night out
The taste of communion
A routine checkup
The school rush each morning
Coffee with a friend
The stadium roaring
Each deep breath
A boring Tuesday
Life itself.
When this ends,
may we find
that we have become
more like the people
we wanted to be
we were called to be
we hoped to be
and may we stay
that way - better
for each other
because of the worst.
- Pamela Lannom is editor of The Hinsdalean. Readers can email her at [email protected].
