Covid-19 Pandemic experiences make lasting memories.
Here are some memories sent by a few neighbors.
What will you be remembering?
Ӣ Remembering the ways of being present. There are ways of being present that do not require us to be physically present in times like these.
Ӣ Remembering there was a time when people wrote letters to one another to be present in mind, heart, and spirit.
Ӣ Remembering teachers who needed to quickly increase technical skills for online teaching.
Ӣ Remembering Grocery stores are ransacked and Charmin Ultra Soft essentially replaces the dollar as the official U.S. currency.
Ӣ Remembering the clean skies as we stopped driving our cars.
Ӣ Remembering the birds singing and the flowers blooming in this glorious spring.
Ӣ Remembering we sang when we washed our hands.
”¢ Remembering how challenging it was to learn the idiosyncrsies and benefits of “Zoom” conversations, meetings, and learning.
Ӣ Remembering when we have the will we can pay the unemployed, empty the jails, feed the hungry, and house the homeless.
Ӣ Remembering whose work is essential.
Ӣ Remembering that the essential workers still had to fight for a living wage and safe working conditions.
Ӣ Remembering March 2020 was the first month in eighteen years without a school shooting in the U.S.
Ӣ Remembering the employers who cut their top pay to keep paying everyone at the bottom or started fundraisers, or found work, or continued health insurance. Remembering the employers who did none of those things.
Ӣ Remembering that we are connected.
Ӣ Remembering that my health depends on the health of healthcare workers and janitorial workers.
Ӣ Remembering that my food depends on the health of everyone in the ecosystem of our food supply: grocery workers, warehouse workers, meatpackers, delivery and truck driver, farm workers.
”¢ Remembering what day it is as days and deadlines have merged; sometimes not a good thing””or not.
Ӣ Remembering how interesting to see rooms of famous people and friends Skyping and Zooming from home.
Ӣ Remembering those workers who put themselves at risk because they had no other choice.
Ӣ Remembering as hysteria grows, world governments are forced to shut the entire planet down and lock everyone in their houses and the only person that can keep people from flipping out and starting a huge riot is a gun toting Oklahoma meth head with 180 pet tigers!
Ӣ Remembering the workers who have died.
Ӣ Remembering that solidarity can grow in quarantine.
Ӣ Remembering: the yellow crocus and dandelion still bloom for the wakening bumblebee, the robins still nest in the budding pear tree, the squirrels still rustle under the uncrinkling rhubarb.
Ӣ Remembering: the children still play and sing and laugh and wonder.
”¢ Remembering there is no more Charmin to Squeeze or Mr. Whipple because he would be at home in the “protected class” at his age.
Ӣ Remembering ancestors more often; especially who went through hard or harder times, too, and what they can teach us.
”¢ Remembering how misinformation and dismissal of scientist”™s warnings led some to “ guzzle the Kool-Aid” and add to the distrust between people and some authorities.
Ӣ Remembering what has united peopleӪs efforts even while physically separated.
Ӣ Remembering inequities exposed more and underscored with a commitment to make change knowing we can.
”¢ Remembering whole new type of jokes like: “I got lost in the woods back in January and I”™ve only just now been able to charge my phone. What did I miss?”
Ӣ Remembering this joke, too: Covid-19 started in China. The entire world lost their minds. 40% of the population thinks itӪs the end of the world, another 40% thinks itӪs all fake, and 20% blames the whole thing on cell phone towers.
Ӣ Remembering the one thing everyone seems to agree on is that the only way to survive is by hoarding toilet paper.
Ӣ Remembering who media overlooked and how we can remember each other more in appreciation.
”¢ Remembering those who had no home in which to “stay home,” and remembering to value them and help support as part of the whole community.
Ӣ Remembering the commitment and service of health care workers.
Ӣ Remembering that all work is essential in a community.
Ӣ Remembering that without malfeasance of some authorities not only could this corona catastrophe been minimized perhaps it could have been avoided altogether.
Ӣ Remembering how life has steadily worsened the world for those of us who arenӪt behind tall walls and have neither treatment nor a vaccine.
Ӣ Remembering the many inequities of health care if I live long enough.
Ӣ Remembering how fortunate I was to be healthy and to be able to help others when they needed it.
Ӣ Remembering Comrade Harry:
Covidiots Rally
April 19, COVID-19
Passing from a coma to beyond
Mariana held his hand
Take a deep breath”¦
Stars and stripes seek
access to watering holes
nurses face exhaustion and death