Did not see this coming

No, I did not.  I am a pretty optimistic person and although I realize that a virus that is spreading like this is a huge problem, I did not imagine that we would find ourselves with all these responses to the contagion.  I went for my usual grocery shop on Saturday, and the store was absolutely crammed with people with full grocery carts and the toilet paper aisle was empty.  (I am not sure I understand why toilet paper is the thing people think they need more than anything else.  I could understand if it was soap, because that is our best weapon against the virus, or beans, because they keep and are a staple food, but the toilet paper grab is beyond me.)

Also on Saturday, my friend and I went to our usual Aquafit class and the pool was quite empty and there were very few people there for the class.  It seemed rather spooky to be in the pool without a lot of little kids splashing around.  So far, the community centres and pools are still open out here.

It is scary when you see the number of cases on a graph but I think we need to remember that there are only around a hundred cases in BC and only four people have died.  It is terrible that people are sick and tragic that some have died, of course, but the numbers do not make me feel panic.  We have a good health system and our government officials are listening to doctors and scientists and we need to listen to them and wash our hands and cough into our sleeves and not touch our faces and not gather in large groups and hope for the best.  I think a positive attitude is helpful in challenging times.

It's a good time for reading (I finished The Yellow House last night so I can start on The Decameron and Albert Camus's The Plague would also be a topical book for these days), spring cleaning, learning how to cook something or bake, doing something creative (I am thinking a play based on The Decameron, in which a group of modern Canadian teens leave Vancouver and go to their grandmother's cabin to escape the coronavirus, would be good -- I've started it already -- the theatre will have guards dressed like "grim reapers" but in those medical suits we see with the non-touch temperature takers {whatever those are called}) -- maybe during the play, the guards could be alerted that someone's temperature has gone up and they could take the person out of the theatre!)

Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying the pleasant weather after our rainy winter and that you are finding things to do and getting good amounts of sleep and taking care of yourselves and washing your hands (it is amazing to read about the power of soap and water).  No matter what troubles we face, the world is a beautiful place!