I’ve tried as hard as I can to avoid writing too much coronavirus content. I just don’t feel like it’s what we do here – we’re not legitimate enough to be considered a news source. And, there’s so much of it out there, that I feel like it’s easy to bog people down in all of it. Some stuff has been too good to resist. But, by and large, we’re trying to provide a bit of an escape here, given that we’re fortunate enough to not have our typical workflow effected by the pandemic.
But, I also just want to check in on a personal level. ‘Cause man….life is fucking weird right now. Just take a look at that photo I snapped of Lebanon Road. That was taken at dinner time on Saturday. A time and place that would otherwise be teeming with traffic, and yet, it was completely still and quiet. Just surreal and odd.
We had gone to Target earlier in the day…the first time I had stepped out of our apartment in over a week. We needed to restock a few essentials, because when this whole thing started, we didn’t panic-buy 500 rolls of toilet paper. And, Target has been one of the quieter spots based on what we’ve seen so far. It was completely painless. We didn’t get our toilet paper, but we got everything else on our list.
But, it was spooky in there. When we were approaching the doors, there was signage hanging all over the place. STOP! If you are feeling ill, DO NOT ENTER! THIS IS NOT A TESTING CENTER! Blue tape marked spots on the floor six feet apart from one another at the checkout lanes. Smart, but still an odd sight to behold. There weren’t too many people in the store, but those that were stayed at a safe distance. You could see how this thing has worn on people by looking in their eyes.
Then, an associate fired up the intercom and gave us a nice little message, reminding us to stay six feet apart from each other. It was odd. Definitely felt like we were on the set of a movie or something. It felt like normal life…it just didn’t feel like real life.
We took some supplies out to my mom, and decided we’d venture into Providence to see if we could pick up those last few items we were missing. That’s when my patience was nearly broken. People were just being rude, hateful, and acting with a wild sense of reckless abandon. Not distancing themselves from each other at all. I thought I was going to have a panic attack and/or blow up on one of these assbutts. I just keep thinking, “how hard is it to maintain a reasonable distance?”
My faith in humanity nearly beaten to a bloody pulp, we arrived back home, I washed my hands, drank some Emergen-C, and scurried back to my hiding spot…comfortable on the couch.
This is just my account of getting out in the real world. But, for a lot of people, they’re facing this kind of shit every day now. They don’t have the luxury of just sitting on their couch all day. This is an unprecedented global fucking pandemic.
This is the new normal for us ordinary folks…at least for the time being. Going back and forth between feelings of restlessness, thinking “it can’t possibly be this bad,” and feeling concerned, alert, and even distressed at times.
It’s important to find a balance here.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not advocating to shut the outside world off and never go outside, and I’m not trying to act like I’ve got it bad here. But, there’s a calculated way to stay informed and not overwhelm yourself with the situation (namely, just stay off of fucking Facebook). I try to get the bullet points once every morning, and check in in the evening. Outside of that, I’m working on content or I’m reading a book, trying to ride this thing out.
It’s okay to feel weird about it. Just hunker down, check in on your loved ones and friends. Support the relief funds if you can. Support your local healthcare workers if you can, as they’re getting the brunt of this whole situation.
Just know you’re not alone. We’re all a little discombobulated right now, but that’s okay.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
