Quarantine
March 23, 2020 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
My last post was scheduled in advance and went live before I had the chance to reschedule it. I wasn’t sure if I should continue to post as if nothing was going on or acknowledge it in some way. What does one even do in a situation like this?
In the weeks leading up to our shelter in place order my son had been going on and on about coronavirus. So much that I’d roll my eyes and tell him we literally have nothing to worry about. Surely we are equipped to handle something like this. I tried to reassure him that everything would be ok and explained that we shouldn’t worry until it was time to worry. And then we went out to do a little last minute grocery shopping (I needed cheese for my chilaquiles) and saw everyone panic buying the hell out of everything. If it wasn’t nailed down they were stuffing it in their carts. The woman behind me in the checkout line was frantically yelling ‘There is none! It’s all gone!’ Looking in her cart I could see it was full of merchandise. I’m not sure what more she needed, but she was angry as hell that it just wasn’t enough.
We all got in the car and looked at each other. What the hell is going on? It was like something out of a movie. It was crazy. I went home and decided to do a little online shopping. You see, I’m a couponer of sorts. Not the extreme kind. But I can appreciate a good deal and will take advantage and stock up on things like toilet paper, paper towel, laundry pods, and Lysol wipes. I actually buy Lysol wipes often because I bake from home so I’m forever wiping down every surface and often. I also like to use them for my beauty stuff. I wipe down my vanity and makeup products after each use. So you can imagine how bothered I was when I could no longer find them. Thankfully I do have some stored away. I also collect a lot of the Mrs. Meyers limited edition scents. So I had enough hand and dish soap too.
Do you what what I didn’t have a lot of? Food. Because we usually shop weekly. I buy a lot of perishables like fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread, etc. We aren’t big on canned or boxed foods. My pantry is stocked with dried goods such as quinoa, polenta, rice, and beans. But it’s definitely not enough to last weeks or months. And who knows when these things will even come back in stock? So now I was forced to grab whatever I could. I wasn’t happy.
As someone who has asthma and other health issues, getting this illness could be very bad. Yet that’s not even the scariest part of all this. The scariest part is how people are acting. I get that people are scared. I’m scared too. But buying shit you don’t need leaving others without is so uncalled for. There would be enough if we all shopped like we normally would. And don’t even get me started on the people reselling these items at outrageous prices. It’s absolutely disgusting.
The world won’t end because I can’t get a hold of my go-to cleaning products. It won’t end because I can’t buy baking supplies to at least work on my craft while sheltering in place. And it won’t end if we should run out of toilet paper. It’s an inconvenience and I can improvise. However, this really shouldn’t be an issue. There’s plenty to go around. Or at least there was.
Anyway, before the world got flipped upside down, I was stressed over other stuff. I was feeling overwhelmed and… off balance. I just needed everything to slow down for a minute. So I’m going to take this time to do just that. I’m going to try and center myself. My posts will continue as scheduled. But I felt like I should at least acknowledge what’s going on right now. I hope this all gets sorted out soon. Stay safe, everyone. And a huge thank you to farmers/farm hands, truck drivers, delivery drivers, hospital staff, grocery store workers, gas station attendants, restaurant/fast food workers, etc. for all you do. It is appreciated. Even before this madness.
By the way, if you see me sharing memes on my social media, please don’t assume that I’m not taking this serious. My family and I are very much taking this seriously. I just turn to humor in rough times. We all cope differently.
I definitely agree with you! It feels like we’re all in this end of the world movie. It’s crazy out there but it’s even more crazier how people are hoarding all this food and stuff but not obeying their stay at home orders. They got their priorities all mixed up!
The bulk buying is crazy! We shop online generally and my husband will do a top up during the week – that’s what we’re still doing. I’ve been very ill so am on a lot of medication and have been told to just stay indoors for however long it takes. Take care and I hope you and your family will be ok x
Siobhán recently posted…10 tips on staying sane while on lockdown from someone who was housebound for years!