Boredom vanquished, episode #1439 (week 1 down of the pandemic).

22 thoughts on COVID-19 after a week.

01 Happy birthday.

Technically, it’s not a week. But it’s the first week that it has radically, dramatically, completely changed the way we live. Happy anniversary, us.

02 Black swans and journalists.

History is important to me; the study of past events and how they influence the future, and importantly, the way we think about history when it’s happening. Most of the time, we don’t recognize most happenings as important unless they’re high-visibility. A ways down the road, we like to sound smart, like we saw it coming. But when “important history” is happening, it is so strange the way it just happens. There’s not a big siren going off announcing that something momentous is beginning. It just starts. And now we’re toward the beginning of something that will be a formative part of our children’s memories and a watershed moment for societal change and how we live our lives.

03 From where it comes.

More important than ever is the idea of reliable sources. Thanks to a certain President, we have a diminished confidence in the media to reliably and accurately share information. Translation: when we need society at large to listen to relevant, important updates in which days and hours matter, then there have to be agreed-upon sources of information that may not be 100% accurate 100% of the time, but can be relied upon to do their best to uphold journalistic standards and serve the public interest in pursuit of and respect for the truth. There has been a relentless hammering away at the media’s credibility by the President, and we are seeing the results of that: distrust in the transmission of basic factual information.

04 Gamification.

If you have have kids, and they’re at home, then possibly you might be spending some extra time with them. This is either an opportunity or a threat. Make it a memory. Don’t feel guilty when you turn on a telly. And don’t be afraid to talk with them about what’s going on. In fact, as far as I’m concerned…make sure you do talk to them. This is a new phase of life for us all. We’re not hiding the reality of what’s happening from young ones, so let’s talk respectfully with them, without trying to shield them from anything “bad.” Yeah. This is bad. So we talk with them, and we learn to deal with a new reality together.

05 Joke about it.

Humor will get us through a lot. Also, epidemiologists, scientists, and good public policy will get us through a lot.

06 Don’t joke about it.

Some people have different types of humor and more importantly, different anxieties. I have a long-time strange mix of survivalist mentality and an affection for and interest in people, which can be an odd pairing. I care about what’s happening beyond our family and my heart hurts for those who have already suffered much greater consequences than the mostly-economic ones we have so far.

So…it does not bother me or bring me greater stress to consider, in a rational way, what’s happening. I plan to re-watch Contagion this week. I’m not unaffected; I am very affected, but I have been mentally, emotionally prepared for many years for this type of happening. Not simply in a logistical sense, but in an emotional one: we are in a crisis, and now we can either bury our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not happening…or we can deal with it.

Since I know we are dealing with it, I find a certain comfort, as many do, in humor. Sometimes in dark and inappropriate humor that is the opposite of the deep level of empathy I feel. But I also understand that joking, humor, and levity are not something that some find helpful, and may increase their stress, anxiety, and worry.

So be thoughtful in who you joke with, and when you joke, and regardless of what side of the fence you’re on, remember that everybody handles stress, crises, and tragedy in different ways.

07 Larry David.

Since you’re not spending as much on gas, might as well spring for HBO and make yourself laugh with a nightly episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Nothing will be make you laugh, groan, and be mortified like Larry David opening his mouth and getting himself into trouble, again and again. And again.

08 Hike.

Of course you should be watching a little more television than usual. But if possible to safely do so, get to some woods, forests, mountains, or foggy empty beaches and do some walking. In nature. Take some food and make it a picnic.

09 Kate, Jay, Gavin, Andy.

Leaders handle things in different ways. And obviously, we’re not in competition…but wow, our governor is handling things way better than Oregon’s. That would be Jay Inslee over Kate Brown. Matter of fact, Andrew Cuomo (New York) gets a higher score too.

Why? Here’s one little big reason: when you need businesses and people to help out, with say…supplies, try asking, encouraging, motivating first. That means before you issue the type of mandate that shuts down dental offices until June 15 and then requires them to donate all protective supples to hospitals. Again, not against asking businesses to step up. But try asking first. Give people and businesses the chance to serve and to step up.

In November, I will vote for the candidate most likely to replace the current one. I believe strongly that he is a man who has always and will always look out for himself first, before the country or anyone else. I believe he has betrayed the ideals and principles this country stands for and in the strongest possible way believe we must have someone else in the office of President.

That being said: a basic understanding of human psychology and motivation goes a long way. When you issue the type of mandate that Kate Brown has done, it is the kind of thing that makes otherwise progressive-thinking people start to consider voting Republican. What she has done is exactly the kind of thing that makes people nervous. As it should.

Even in times of crisis, there are ways you can start to motivate people and businesses that do not involve invoking executive privilege. There are many businesses that are not going to recover. Period. In the short term, that seems like a crass thing to say. Saving lives is the priority right now. But we’re also idiots to not try and look down the road at the impact of our reactions to what’s happening. We will recover, we will build a new normal.

But there will be many people and many businesses that don’t.

10 Today, right now.

If you haven’t seen Yesterday yet, then do it. A world without the Beatles? One man finds what it’s like to be the only person who remembers them. A fairy tale, of sorts, of what happens when the world suddenly and radically changes for everyone on the planet. A thoughtful, sad, yet romantic and uplifting film that is…magical. And amidst the reality of right now, we need a wee bit of magic.

11 Moments.

I got trapped in a public restroom with my wife, and together we used our petite elbows to hygienically wiggle our way out.

I watched my wife wrestle our three-year old across the grass on a sunny afternoon with the magnificent mountains of the Columbia Gorge in the background.

I watched my daughter click away on a DSLR as we walked in nature, and my son set up a time lapse on the Columbia, and felt my seven-month old sigh and deep-breathe against my chest as we strolled in the sun, and I looked back at my wife holding hands and giggling with our toddler, and there was joy.

I spoke with my uncle in California, and texted with friends around the country, and messaged our family thread throughout the day, and FaceTimed various others, and was grateful for technology that allows us to stay connected amidst these challenges.

I received news that people close to my heart who are trying to return to the U.S. from Canada made it safely across, and are now en route back home to the Pacific Northwest. My heart is lighter.

The quick trip I planned to Southern California to roll back up north with someone important did not work out. It was a good thing I did not go, and it helps to have people understand. Sunday, I planned on leaving later in the week; by Friday, (and California’s lockdown) it seemed like a hilarious thought that it would have been a plan just a matter of days before. I did hop back on Instagram this week, and the first thing that popped up was her, my little sis, performing one of her inimitable performances. It was a good return after a lengthy sabbatical.

I talked with one of my favourite people to talk with about books and about well…most anything, and she made me one of the ten best sandwiches I’ve ever had and sent me on the road with two coffees: hot and cold, and as I drove home I replayed snippets of our dialogs over a short visit; ones that included the Beatles, Alice Munro, Roald Dahl, politics, straws, and the question of which record Hey Jude was on. Answer: none. It was a single. I hugged her before leaving and it was a good hug.

A good hug, and sometimes those things carry you through tough times. Or challenging weeks.

Wishing you the best, world. Let’s dance.