We hit our first two week window.

It’s been over two weeks since my daughter has been at college and in Washington DC. Two weeks since they drove up 95 to NYC. Two weeks since he has been at work. Two weeks plus since I have been to the gym, book club, theater, movies, restaurants… Two weeks since we have had any exposure to large groups.

We all remain symptom free.

But don’t start cheering…

Because according the NY state higher ups, the apex of this crisis has yet to hit NYC.

But essentially, that means that if we develop symptoms now, the fault doesn’t lie in our stars but in ourselves…

We were warned over two weeks ago to stay at home if possible….

Which we have, for the most part…

But…

We still walk the dog.

We still go to target or the market.

And no matter what experts say, corona is smarter than all of us…

We wear gloves every time we leave the house. When we come back in, we wipe down our gloves. And wash our hands.

We wipe down the doorknob.

We wipe down the leash.

We wipe our reusable bags.

We wipe down every single thing we buy. If the food product can be switched to a different container, we do it, and get the offending container out of the house.

We wipe down the mail. But since it’s paper, we don’t wipe too much, so we then leave it out and don’t touch it for at least 24 hours. Same with newspaper or if we get a package.

When we throw out garbage, we wipe down all the handles before we open the door or the chute. Same with stairway and banister if we take the stairs down. We use our elbows for the elevator if we use that.

When I do laundry, which is communal and in the basement, I wipe down the machines. I wipe down my laundry card.

Suffice to say, we wipe down everything. We wash our hands three times as much.

As I told my friends last week, I have the cleanest doorknob in America…

Crazy?

OCD?

Overcautious?

I don’t know. You tell me.

Because we’ve been told to stay home and social distance for over two weeks…and we still haven’t hit the peak…

I now live my life in two week increments: we got through phase one, phase two began yesterday. Every day fever free, every day cough free, is a small victory. But every sneeze, every time someone feels cold or hot is a warning bell… It reminds us that we are not even close to the finish line…and there is no mile marker to tell me where we are, only vague suggestions that maybe we’re at mile nine…

The problem is, we don’t really know how many miles are in this particular marathon.

 

99 thoughts on “Dos- The Window”

      1. My mind is like a wild stallion these days..takes everything in me to lasso my negative thoughts..started watching OZARKS last night on Netflix- another GREAT(!!!) series 👍..if you need need a distraction…

        Liked by 3 people

      3. We started the Tiger one last night first and got about 3 minutes into it..I told my husband I can’t deal with animals in cages right now..so we moved on to murder, drugs and sex..😂 Ozark is REALLLY good..I’m pretty darn sure you would love it.

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      6. It is SO good! I rate everything on the “1-10 did it take my mind off Corona” scale..and this got a 10! I got totally lost in Ozark..great acting too! My husband said it’s like a combination of Breaking bad and Shitts creek- HAHA

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      9. I KNOW!!! Jason Bateman..say whaat??? I was asking my husband like “…wasn’t he in one of those TV shows for kids back in the day??” He’s GREAT in this – and STILL pretty easy on the eyes..😉

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  4. The thing is…there are too many out there who believe because the crisis isn’t getting ‘worse’ or it’s even not directly affecting their immediate community that that PROVES Covid-19 is overblown at the least and a hoax at the worst of it all.
    Whew – thanks. I knew I could say it like it is here on your blog…

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  5. This is an invisible virus… so, good that you take precautions, but I feel God is in control here. Similar to people who live a perfect and healthy life, but they still get cancer, while the person who drank, didn’t exercise, smoked, etc. does not get cancer.

    There is no rhyme or reason to this.

    How about the poor workers at grocery stores, hospitals, etc. that CAN”T stay home!!

    In a weird way, we are ALL equals now (super wealthy, not wealthy) it doesn’t matter. We are all in fear of the unknown, and instead of wanting to buy something “materialistic,” we want toilet paper, water, etc. — basic needs to survive.

    It’s like a Tsunami is on the way… but we don’t know when it will hit. RIGHT!

    STAY POSITIVE… STAY SAFE… KEEP CLEANING/STERILIZING… at least you FEEL safe.

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  6. Nope – not OCD. Or at this point, most of the country could be diagnosed! Keep sanitizing, keep sheltering and you’re right. Corona is smart – it may still find a way in, but you will have done all that you can at that point. I’m on several nursing pages, even though I’m more administrative for education now. Our healthcare workers are overwhelmed in many places. People that aren’t taking this seriously are not just putting themselves in danger, they are putting others in danger as well. Stay safe, friend, and keep writing. You motivate me!

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  7. I think we’re all more capable of doing this than we know. When my husband ruptured his Achille’s, he wondered how he would get through a day in a cast and boot for one day, let alone four months. But he did. I’ve also been through some difficult times and have learned that the only way is faith and one day at a time. I’m no holy roller, but today is really all any of us are guaranteed.

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  8. Nope, not OCD at all. I do it too. I wash my hands so many times the skin’s peeling off my hand. 😶 If i go out, i put the clothes, bags, shoes in the sunlight after coming back. I even wiped all our phones with sanitizer yesterday. It is better to be safe than sorry. I went to the supermarket today. They have hand sanitizers outside, you gotta use it before going in. Only five peeps allowed at a time. Queue system + social distancing; they don’t allow peeps in if they aren’t wearing masks. Everybody gets their temperature checked before going in. So, in a way, everybody is doing their best to stop the virus. Everyone’s OCD-ing so this is the new normal.🙂
    Hugs🧡💗

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  9. It’s the not knowing when life will be the old normal again and not knowing how long this will be that is driving me crazy!!! We also started watching Ozarks and it’s pretty good!! Something to look forward to after the husband gets home. And I am still insisting he strips, washes clothes and showers the minute he enters the house! I even use Lysol wipes on his shoes!!!

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  11. You’re singing my song, sister.
    I’m not panicked, but I am diligent af!
    Here’s the reality, even doing everything we possibly can to stay and keep others safe, there is a real possibility we’re going to get sick, that’s just statistics. It’s also frustrating as hell because doing the right things doesn’t always make a difference.
    You’re right when you talk about two week increments, how much longer will we live our lives in these two week chunks? For the foreseeable future. And your hometown has not yet peaked.
    At least we’re all in this together, and I send you so much love! ❤

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  12. Crazy? OCD? Overcautious? 😀 you me and everyone across the globe sister! Hmm who knows if this virus is smarter than us? Who knows if we were all clean enough? Sooo many questions, whatever the truth history books in years to come will be interesting reading….. that’s if we haven’t had our fill of virus related stories.

    As an aside, I visited my mother yesterday, instructed to keep 2 metres away at all times, a washing up bowl of hot water and soap by my feet, she disinfected the door knobs when I left (even though I touched nothing) BUT she insisted I visited, enjoyed the company……… are we being foolhardy? I visited the supermarket and very few people were obeying quarentine rules, picking up packets then putting them back again. Anyways I’m enjoying all the positive covis blogs I follow

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  13. The only person that has left this house in over two weeks has been my Hubby and that has only been to get groceries. I will go outside and walk around my yard, but that is very different than living in a city where anything outside your front door is a potential for exposure. Stay healthy and sane as best you can!

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  15. Christ on a cracker, I’ve been fortunate to have been so insulated thus far. I’m now on a leave of absence, and I’m gobbling up all the information, tips, and etcetera from the parts of the world that haven’t been so insulated. Thank you for sharing this insight into your daily routine. Please stay safe and healthy, I need you in my life!

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  16. Hang in there, and thank goodness there are a lot of people, most I hope, who are diligent like you are. I don’t understand why some people are contrary, and feel that rules are for them, not us.

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      2. Well, this week all my posts are going to veer towards personal as opposed to theoretical. I don’t know how I’m splitting the ideas up yet

        Like

  18. Our son didn’t believe in the severity of the situation at first and insisted that he could take the train to work. Now at least he’s letting me drive him. Our eldest daughter lives alone and has been finding it most difficult. She is angry with people who are not listening to the distancing rule because the longer it takes to get rid of this the longer she will have to be alone. For several reasons she can’t come here to be with the rest of us. It’s hard.

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  20. I haven’t been doing the switch-containers thing. Yet. My son gave me an exasperated look when I made him wipe down a plate with a cookie a neighbor dropped off (we didn’t wipe the cookie).

    -really, I do not understand why so many think eating out, dropping things off, and hanging out are okay.

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  21. Your precautions are all good and sensible, but I can’t be bothered. I leave home once a week to shop. I try to keep six feet away from people. But that is as far as I go. 🙂

    Hope you all stay well – I am beginning to enjoy my surprise holiday.

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  22. You’re taking precautions seriously which is commendable, especially living in a densely populated area. Not surprised to read this, given who I think you are. Where you live and where I live isn’t only 2000 miles apart, but also very different in so many ways. I’m still able to get outside which is hugely important for my mental health. I’m also doing home workouts for a variety of sources which has been great. I’ve done grocery shopping and a friend even took me to Costco so I could restock since I had planned to be traveling most of the month. Did you know you can buy a box of 15 dozen eggs?
    I have a spray bottle I made of sanitizer that I carry with me. I hike several days a week with Charlie and our friends Kate and Meadow. I know some people aren’t getting together at all, but we’re outside and able to keep our distance. For the sake of mental health, it’s been *essential*

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      1. Before the current situation, Bob ate a dozen eggs a day. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Now that he lays around the house doing absolutely nothing instead of spending several hours at the gym and working a few hours a day, he eats less.
        When I move I won’t need a roommate.

        Liked by 1 person

  25. Sounds like you’re doing everything humanly possible. A marathon it is, and being as NYC is one of the hardest hit, there is no telling where you may be on a timeline that keeps on moving. Sat safe!

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  30. Dr. Emily London from U. Chicago came to mind when I read this. She said that if we are doing this right it will feel like an overreaction. You are doing it right because it is working. Best wishes for continued health…..

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  34. Has it only been two weeks? It seems like a month! I am feeling a fellowship with my fellow “hermits.” I am an extroverted introvert or an introverted extrovert. I miss eating lunch with my friends, shopping without wearing a mask that may hide my smile. But if this is what it takes to maintain my good health, then so be it. We are all in this together! Thank you for helping to express our feelings too!

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  36. Not OCD at all, just responsible. I’ve struggled to get through to my elderly mother for weeks now. Despite insisting she was “well stocked” – she isn’t – because she thought it would just be a week, maybe 2. I don’t know what other words I could’ve used to tell her it’s going to be 3 months, other than the ones I (and our Prime Minister) used. You can’t make people listen, you just have to repeat yourself till the penny eventually drops. Luckily it finally has …

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  37. Thinking about you LA and all of New York. As a retired medical professional, I can’t even imagine coping with what those hospitals have. I don’t think your are being OCD, just very wise. I am leaving my mail and packages sit for days before I open them, haven’t been to the grocery store in over a week when I did seniors early hour and have only been going back and forth between my place and my mother’s. I do walk every day, but social distance if I speak with the neighbours. And no foreseeable end in sight. We haven’t peaked here, just started….

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