Ready or not, here we come!

It’s been a little over two months that we have been sheltering at home.  It’s even difficult to remember when it all started but I think it was some time in the middle of March.  I know that I felt sick from the regular flu as my father was hospitalized on the 1^st day of March, 2020.  I decided not to visit him at the hospital out of abundance of caution with the thought that I may have caught the virus in my way back from Mexico the week before.  When my father was taken home from Mercy Hospital on the 4^th, I was feeling better and decided to visit him on Thursday the 5^th of March.  He passed away on the 7^th and we arranged for the funeral services for Sunday the 15^th.  On that Sunday, we already had several cancellations from out of town visitors that could not travel because of the virus.  We had the funeral services without any inconvenience but we were warning everyone to minimize the hugs and hand-shaking, but very few listened to our warnings.  The obligatory stay at home orders came in the next week after that.  This means that as of this writing on the 17^th of May, 2020, we have been locked up about two months.

Most restaurants have been closed to sit-in clients so they have been relying on deliveries or pick ups.  Gyms and hair salons are completely closed.  Supermarkets are open and following social distance practices as best as they can.  The president keeps preaching that the virus is going to blow over anytime and him and many of his supporters have been advocating to save the economy even at the risk of a few extra infections.  State governors and city mayors are under increased pressure from above and from some groups to open up so most of the country is getting ready to open by tomorrow Monday and we will hope for the best from here on out.  Meanwhile the coronavirus numbers today show that there have been almost 5 million infected worldwide with over 315,000 deaths.  The USA still leads the statistics with more than 1.5 million infected and 90,789 deaths in the last two months. Those are not light numbers to feel relaxed about, but folks are feeling the weight of the unemployed and the closed economy and are ready to get out regardless.

At home, we are getting used to the new ways.  We used to travel a lot more and now I just virtually travel looking at maps or photos from exotic locations.  Our lives in Miami used to revolved around work and our businesses, and we have moved passed those things so retirement came to us ready or not and now are coping with adapting ourselves to be home for the most part.  The highlights of the week are to take care of our grandchildren on Mondays and walk to the grocery store for food at least once a week.  Social life used to be mostly with family, so we now talk more by phone or video and less in person.  No one is allowed in our different buildings so we have not had a visitor here since the New Year’s holidays. 

Ready or not tomorrow we open and we will probably take some cautious steps out to see how everyone is behaving and wait even longer to feel safe about being outside.  Travel is not on the cards right now but I will continue following roads on my electronic maps and looking at photos for exotic locations until the numbers start showing real improvements.  One thing is for sure, we will appreciate going outside again and we will enjoy any and every travel opportunity coming our way, and let’s hope its not too far in the future.