Friday was supposed to be the first day of Spring Break. We had some work and some fun planned. Our first adventure was Thursday night. We wanted to go to Hollywood Studios so everyone could experience the newest ride, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway (MMRR). Thomas and I had some mild debate, but I had left work early and really wanted to go and give our Spring Break a good start. So, we did. And, we had a lot of fun. We rode Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, MMRR, and ended the night with the family favorite--Slinky Dog. That was the day when everything became much more serious--all major sports announced closings, colleges switched to virtual learning and things just got more real. While in line for Slinky Dog, a castmember told us that Disney had just decided that Sunday would be their last day of operation.I wish I could say it was my moment of clarity, when I decided to take things seriously, but, alas, I am a little slow.
Thirty days prior to Friday (the first scheduled day off from school) I had gotten fastpasses for all the "mountains" at the Magic Kingdom (Space, Big Thunder, and Splash). Thomas didn't think it was a good idea to go, but we had so much fun the night before and I wanted to do it again. So, we did. But, first we went to SeaWorld for a few hours and then headed to the Magic Kingdom. It was a truly awesome Orlando day. And, we had a great time. There were some hand sanitizers set up around the park and we saw one portable hand-washing station, but not much else. We had a fun night and rode most of our favorite rides. The crowds were pretty heavy, I guess lots of people wanted to get in some Disney time.
We got home late and Thomas and I caught up on the news of the day. And, we decided to finally start our social distancing. My dad was supposed to watch the kids on Saturday while Thomas and I went to a Spring Training game. But, the game was cancelled. My dad still wanted us to come over, but he will be turning 78 next week and it just felt too risky.
I had thought maybe we would do one of the parks each night beginning Thursday and even though the kids really wanted to, we finally put our foot down and started our time at home. Originally, Thomas and I were supposed to attend a conference this week. It was canceled. So, I arranged to telework Mon-Wed (we were supposed to go to Charleston on Thursday, but we will cancel that as well--lots of "supposed to" and "cancels" in this post). But, Thomas had to go to work today. It looks like the command will be instituting telework for all non-essentials beginning tomorrow or later this week. As part of the legal department, I imagine there will be lots for us to sort out. This is new territory after all.
Like this blog, my thoughts are a bit all over the place. It was a struggle to do our weekly grocery shopping and I have been dreaming about things like rolls of toilet paper and coughing kids. I am frustrated at our government. We saw what was happening in other countries and there should have been clear, concise, unequivocal direction to stay home. I feel like the seriousness of this virus and the impact it will have on our medical system was downplayed and we missed an opportunity to really get ahead of this thing. We have now prolonged the pain and made things so much worse. I am still seeing pictures on social media of crowded restaurants and malls.
It has also made me realize how quickly things can change and the interconnectedness of today's world and how powerless we really are. I am nervous for our country's economy and for the people whose livelihoods are threatened. I am sad for the kids who rely on schools for food and kindness and sad for the high school seniors and others who are having momentous occasions taken from then. I am frustrated at the people who are unwilling to make sacrifices for the common good. On the flip side, I am surprised at the level of power the government has and how easily most of us are willingly giving up freedoms we take for granted. So, so, so many thoughts and emotions.
I wonder when this will be a memory and what lessons I will learn. Will this change how we live our everyday lives? Does the knowledge that another virus, maybe one that combines the contagion of COVID-19 and the mortality rate of SARS, can strike at any time have greater impact now? Will there be permanent changes? My guess is no, but it will be interesting to see what I am writing in two weeks. I pray it will be that we acted swiftly enough that the impact in the US was minimal and we are on way to normalcy. Only time will tell.
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