The weeks have dragged on, some days have gone faster than others.  The noose feels tighter in many ways.  New processes were implemented at the day care where the kids had their temps taken upon arrival.  Parents now wait in line and enter the center one family at a time to drop off their children.  Signs are posted everywhere about the importance of hand washing and social distancing.  But how do you socially distance children?  They aren't made that way.

Work implemented a new system too.  The building is basically shut down to employees only, those of us deemed 'essential.'  That makes me laugh because I never would have considered myself on the same level as a first responder.  Social distancing is mostly adhered to, but those who won't do it cause stress on those of us that do.  There are marks on the floor to measure six feet apart indicating where you should stand.  Masked people sitting behind plexiglass protected shields at card tables take your EIN (employee identification number.)  We're not even a name.  They have you lean toward the barrier and put a thermometer near your forehead.  If you're deemed temperature appropriate, you're given a little colored sticker with the date that you wear all day in some obvious spot.  They check when you come in and out of the building.  The elevator states two people at a time.  Some people apparently can't read or don't care to, but most of us adhere to it.

I wonder if this will all be enough?

In the meantime, I have trepidation about the leadership skills of those at the highest level of our country.  We couldn't have a more inept leader than Trump.  I hate even putting his name in my blog. He's a horrible excuse of a human.  There is true leadership coming out of New York with Andrew Cuomo as governor.  He speaks daily and has action plans.  He offers comfort and is fighting to get what his state needs.  The losses are still devastating there.

The states are at odds with the feds.  The news is coming at us so fast and yet it always seems to be missing the mark.  We're now at 40,000 plus dead in this country, a number which has now surpassed our normal flu season.  In addition, so many people are without work, and hearing about their suffering is so anxiety producing.  I want to help but don't know how when I'm trying to keep myself and my kids afloat.

The kids' grandparents sent masks so we all have one.  And the masks I ordered weeks ago finally arrived.  While they won't protect us as well as the filtration type masks worn by first responders, they will hopefully protect others and slow the spread of this contagion.

These are weird times.  I think we will see an end, but not as quickly as so many others seem to think.  If the Spanish flu is any sort of a model, we're looking at waves of this stuff.