Coronavirus Social Distancing Week One: March 12 to March 21

Since I treat (or have treated) this blog as a sort of journaling space these many years, I thought I'd record the events of the week as we deal with this new life that I really hope doesn't last very long, but I fear will be a lot longer than we can imagine.

This first week was very insane especially so even if I slack off in the coming weeks, this week needs to be remembered!

But let me first preface this with a goal I made for myself at the beginning of this year which ended up being a big part of this past week. That goal was to finally get a medical check up and see if I am as healthy as I feel.. or if something is off that I need to address. Having a huge phobia of doctors, I haven't been in to see one for probably 17 or so years. I don't even really know. So after the craziness that was January was over I finally made an appointment and went. The results of that appointment were:

• blood sugar levels high, pre diabetic, advised to go on a low carb diet
• routine colonoscopy scheduled
• routine mammogram scheduled

So at the end of February (about a month ago I'd say) I started the low carb diet. It's rough. I'm an eater. I love food. I will never believe that whole thing of "now that I'm not eating it I don't even crave it!" Bull crap. I will crave yummy sugary carby food for life. But with this extra motivation, I have been doing pretty well, despite the bouts of pity and anger that I regularly feel. I have also managed to keep up on exercising every day... alternating a day of zumba with a day of walking on the treadmill. This part I actually like. Anyway. If I believe my crappy scale, I've already lost nearly 15 pounds, which adds to the motivation that this is actually working and perhaps I should keep it up.

So keep this in mind as we begin our social distancing, and our panic buying anxieties and our issues with stockpiling food for the foreseeable future as we try to stay home and not go anywhere even the store! These two things (low carb strange diet coupled with food fear) has been rough.

The weeks go by. Coronavirus is spreading. It reaches the US. Then March 12 arrives. That's the day of my colonoscopy. I'm sitting there as anxious as a person can be, waiting for my turn, while the TV in the waiting room is saying that the governor has just announced we start the social distancing. Before that day is over we know that there will be no more colleges classes (my daughter is due to come home for spring break that Saturday), no more church services, the library where I work will close for two weeks for now, and then the next day we learn all schools will be closed (not just universities). Add all that to the scare of having a not fun procedure and my anxiety was off the charts.

But I survived and was ready to face the week. And so, with that little prologue,  commence WEEK ONE of social distancing. Here's what we did:

• On Friday March 13, I gave in to the food fear and went to the store first thing in the morning. The empty shelves made me tear up. It was such a scary sight. I needed eggs if I was to continue with the low carb thing, but they were all gone. I did get a bunch of other stuff and felt fairly successful. But for the eggs. However the husband went past another store on his way to work and managed to get a bunch. So that was good. I relaxed a little.

• I went into to work that day, even though the library closed. I needed to catch up on the status of everything and decide what my plan would be. I decided to stay home for the next week since Toto would be here for spring break.
• Saturday, March 14 we drove the three hours to pick her up and bring her home for her break. She, at that time, thought she would be going back, even if classes would only be online. For her job, for her roommates, etc.
• Sunday, March 15, first day with no church. We had planned a family dinner to celebrate Toto's bday, which had happened a few days before. That went on as planned. Less than 10 people. We were good! Dinner and cake (I saved up the carbs so I could eat a piece!). It was nice.
• Monday, March 16. We just hung out this day. Stayed home except for an evening walk around the neighborhood. 
• Tuesday, March 17. We stay home. Worked on projects. Homework, and filmed and edited youtube videos, etc. We start a new zombie drama. I finish a book and start another. It was probably this day that Toto was getting word from the college that maybe her job wasn't going to be happening anymore, and that they wanted students to stay home and  not come back after spring break. I think it was also this day that restaurants close. Along with other places like bars and gyms. 
• Also on Tuesday, the power went out for a bit, and then when it came back on the internet wasn't working. I really don't think I could do this stay at home thing without internet! Luckily, we got it working again and so far, all is well! But it was just another weird thing of last week that was like...what is happening!!
• Wednesday, March 18. At 7:10 we wake up to a very strange and scary sensation. "I think we just had an earthquake." I said right at the same time Toto said, "was that an earthquake???" The bird was freaking out in his cage. The cat hid. We were completely wired after that and texted family and had a video call for like an hour. It was 5.7, and centered more in Salt Lake, 40 miles away. Damage was done there, but no damage in our area. 

• Meanwhile, I had to get up and go to my appointment for the mammogram. So I was already, again, extremely anxious! And then the earthquake! Like... seriously??? But I went, I survived. It was interesting walking into a hospital... there was a checkpoint at the entrance were I had to say I was not sick, and use the hand santizer before I was allowed through. 
• The rest of that day we just laid around. We couldn't concentrate on anything. We felt one big aftershock, but the anxiety of it all really messed with us and we just curled up on the bed under lots of blankets and watched TV.
• Thursday March 19. I planned to go ahead with book club as usual. We ended up having 3 people join us in person, and 3 online. (Less than 10 people, I felt we were still abiding by the rules.) But before that happened, we decided to go to Costco. We scored TP and a bunch of other things. I filled the cart. It was intense. After this shopping trip, I am now feeling confident we can hunker down for a good long while and not run out of anything. Except I need more meat. I forgot to buy meat!

• Friday March 20. We drove up the canyon because Toto had a geography assignment to observe a natural feature. So we went to the park, and sat by the river for a minute. It was nice. Very calming. By this time we knew we had to go back to Toto's school to get her stuff, since now she would be staying home. Many states started implementing "shelter in place" which basically means please, don't go anywhere! We felt the need to make this trip before that happened here! That night we order food from Door Dash because everyone is saying, support the restaurants! Also it was this day that movie theaters finally close. They tried during the week to stay open, but to no avail. They are now closed. 

• So Saturday we drove the three hours back to school and moved her out. Before we left though, I managed to get my hair cut. Something I had neglected this past month. So now I feel human again that way! Anyway, moving her out was very sad and depressing. It felt so weird and abnormal and off. Like... can this really be happening? But we accomplished it and came home and felt relieved that we had succeeded.  (We stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom at one point and were shocked at how many people were there. It was too much and too close of contact. My son who made the trip with us felt like we have been exposed for sure.)

And now it's Sunday again. The husband will be staying home from work this week because of an already scheduled vacation. In a normal world we would be going to see the world. So that's depressing. Even two weeks ago we were making plans! Instead he will stay home and work on landlording projects. I plan to go into work to do some essential things, but not sure I will keep my normal hours. It's all up in the air for sure. 

And that's where we stand after one week of this. How's everyone else doing? I feel a bit out of balance and off kilter. I go back and forth feeling anxious and worried, and positive that time at home is not a bad thing. I still find it interesting that everything we know is coming word of mouth and through the media and not anything we are actually SEEING with our own eyes, yet.  It's all so scary and disconcerting. 

I have no fears of being bored though. In fact, there's actually so much to do I'm overwhelmed! I'll post my list of things I hope to do in another post! 

I would love to know how things are going for anyone that reads this. Let me know!