We’ve all been thrown a curve.
The unprecedented circumstance of a global pandemic has flipped daily life on its head for most of us, and ground a lot of things to a halt.
Sports are small potatoes when compared to the life-or-death situations many face as a result of this virus, but they are potatoes nonetheless.
What I wouldn’t give to go back to the days when we talked about 12-6 curveballs instead of what it will take to flatten the curve of coronavirus.
When I saw today’s WordPress Discover prompt was “curve,” several options came to my mind.
Women.
A story about the time I went to Talladega Superspeedway, walked up one of the turns and nearly fell off because the curve has a 33-degree bank.
A friend suggested baseball, but there’s none of it to talk about right now.
Let me preface the rest of this post with the fact so far I have been affected in only routine.
A lot of people all over the world are in the hospital.
A lot of people are afraid. A lot of people have lost loved ones.
A lot of people have lost jobs and are in much tougher situations on top of a quarantine.
It’s not my intention for the nature of this post to detract from the seriousness of the situation which has gripped the globe.
There’s a lot of death, a lot of sickness, a lot of confusion and enough negativity in the news these days so I’ve decided to throw a curve of my own.
For the sake of documentation and deadline, I’ve decided to spend the rest of this post on positives.
I still have a job.
Today was my first full day of work from home, thanks to my company’s efforts to limit exposure and slow the spread of this crazy contagion.
Yesterday was supposed to be my first full day at home, but I forgot the power cord to my computer monitor at the office and had to go get it so I worked while I was there.
Work from home is weird.
The toughest part so far has been the need to manage time and tasks so I can be honest when I put 40 hours on my time sheet at the end of the week.
So far so good, and if time management is one of the toughest problems I have through all of this it’s not much of a problem at all.
Plus, I wore shorts to work today.
There’s quiet in the quarantine.
People have responded to this quarantine in their own ways, which is fine.
Some have said it needs to end.
If its end means the end of this virus and everything it’s brought along with it, I agree 100 percent.
Some have said the quarantine has made them stir crazy, but the opposite is true for me.
I’ve enjoyed being home. I’ve enjoyed the chance to sit on the porch with little concern about where I’ve got to be or what I have to do.
I set some personal goals in January.
One was to travel more. I’m not sure I’ll accomplish it this year, but I feel like I’m entitled to a pandemic pass.
I had some trips planned, but since I didn’t get to take them I don’t have as many to come up with when they resume.
I wanted to read two books a month. I read two in January, none in February and only one in March.
Par for the course, I’d already failed by the second month and haven’t started on this one.
There’s plenty of time to catch up and get back on track, though.
I write again.
I haven’t written much except for letters in a long time.
I stopped when it started to feel like a job. I also made the excuse I could never come up with ideas.
It was an excuse, but there was also some truth to it because ideas don’t always come easy.
Then WordPress started daily prompts again and took my excuse.
I have posted every day this month.
Who knows how long I’ll keep up with it, or if WordPress will post them when April is done, but I have looked forward to the prompt email every day.
There is a thirst for good news.
The news is just about saturated with updates on the coronavirus curve, cases, tolls and the like.
I have noticed, though, there is sometimes extra effort made to point out good news in the middle of all of the bad.
The kid who sent his comic book money to doctors and told them to save the world.
The celebrities who don’t care about who wears what anymore, who haven’t been afraid to show their faces without their stylists and who think of ways to help people while they sit at home.
The singers who put on concerts from their living rooms and their front porches, just to give people as much of an escape from tumultuous times as possible.
There has also been more of a focus on kindness and a push for positivity.
Positive posts are a little more plentiful on social media, which is a welcome change.
I saw an example tonight in a Twitter thread from Chris Jones, who used to write for Esquire and penned one of the best feature stories I’ve ever read (The Things That Carried Him. You’re welcome.). Here’s first tweet in the thread, which does contain some adult language.
When the present threat has passed, I hope we come out of it is a people who put the spotlight on kindness, remember really important, what’s and push for positivity.
I also hope the corona curve gets flattened soon so we can talk about 12-6 curves again.
Casey's Column 