April 2, 2022 - I'm Only Sneezing Because it's Spring!

Yesterday, I put away the Christmas cards on the mantle. I would have posted that fact yesterday, but I feared the April 1 date might make it look like I was joking, and I didn’t want you laggards to think I hadn’t beaten you to the punch on this.

The Christmas cards are gone, and the mantle is down to one upcoming wedding invitation. It’s spring!

I wouldn’t have gotten to the cards so swiftly, but I was getting the place ready for the window washing guy, who then canceled because he was overbooked. It’s so glorious, everyone must want their windows washed NOW.

I know, all I have to do is wash the windows myself, but instead I got a raincheck. We hired the window washing guy to do the OUTSIDE of the house only, during the pandemic (nobody came inside for ages). We did it as a Support your local economy gesture, and then we really liked the kid. Plus, it’s just so nice to have somebody else going up that long ladder!

Speaking of Support Your Local Economy, that was one of the five Conflicting Imperatives that were revealed to me, when the pandemic first struck. You are forgiven if you have forgotten them, over the intervening years, but thanks to the glory of Facebook Memories, I am seeing, daily, posts from two years ago. Some posts mention events I’d forgotten, eg, the day when a rumor spread that henceforth, all drivers would have to show (someone) their “papers,” demonstrating that they were performing an essential service.

I was sitting in my front room the day that rumor hit the socials, and in the space of an hour, the quiet streets filled up with cars going Someplace, Before We Couldn’t Go Anyplace for a While. I got in on the act, too, hopped in my car and just went for a drive, because I could.

And then the rumor proved false, hooray. We could still go places without papers, but there weren’t many places to go, since everything was closed.

This was very early on, before it became clear that being indoors was way riskier than being outdoors.  Rick reminds me that we drove around Mt. Hood, a few weeks into “please stay home” season, because I was craving scenery. And on the deserted mountain roads, there were signs telling us not to stop or get out of our cars. But we did stop and get out, rebels that we are, so the dog could have a woodland moment.

Two years ago! And now here I am, scheduling our second boosters! Time flies. Well, no, but it passes, witness the Christmas card clean-out.

How’d we do on the imperatives, you ask? You may decide that for yourselves.

1) Flatten the curve. (This was originally about any behavior changes we could make so that we didn’t overload our hospitals. Oregon did pretty well on that measure, comparatively.)

2) Reach herd immunity. (Early on, some imagined the virus might be a one-and-done thing, like measles or mumps. Some people seemed to advocate (I’m oversimplifying) that we all just get sick and “get it over with,” so that the pandemic would end sooner. I think now the descendant of this imperative might read something like Get Much of the Herd Vaccinated, but that wasn’t even a remote option at the start.)

3) Care for the most vulnerable among us. (Some really good efforts were made – Paycheck Protection, the American Rescue Plan, vaccinating healthcare workers and the elderly first, once vaccines arrived. But as we all know, other things fell apart: not just getting enough PPE and paid time off to frontline folks; not just protecting people in jails and food processing plants; not just finding the optimal solution for schools, and beefing up mental health services and such; but also any shared agreement about the importance of subjugating one’s individual LIBERTY in service of a greater common good, by doing stuff like masking, or getting vaccinated.)

4) Support your local economy. (This was our household mantra as we ordered take-out from restaurants we love. Some made it. Some didn’t. I also learned to pay for livestreamed yoga classes and such. And there was just general support – writing a check to help the (closed) dance studio, the Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, etc. How IS our local economy? Good by some measures, but the plight of our homeless is dire.)

5)  Develop tools. (An ongoing mixed bag, but the vaccine remains a standout success. In the beginning, I just wanted basics: data about how the virus spread, risk factors, effective preventive measures, etc. Also, accurate tests, and enough of them, available to all. Also, clear and effective public health messaging. (Sigh.) And then, of course, I was hoping we would soon develop both treatments and vaccines, and make those widely available to all. So Tools remain a work in progress.)

Those FB memories gave me some helpful perspective. It has been instructive, and comforting, to look back, and to see how much better things are now than they were at the worst. I know it’s not OVER. But much progress has been made.

And it’s spring, too, the season when I sneeze and snuffle for all the good reasons.