Doing our part with Social Isolation

My wife and I are embracing Social Isolation, the best that we know how, considering we've only recently known the term to exist. Like so many, we understood the idea in generalities, but we decided to use the good ol' Internet to make sure we understood it fully. Amidst the 90% doom 'n gloom dedicated to the actual virus and the government's reactions, we found a few useful pieces of advice here and there. Just like so many other topics buzzing around Social Media, there were so many conflicting tidbits of advice surrounding the In's and Out's that we decided to feel it out ourselves, using some plain old fashioned common sense. We understand that we have it pretty darn good being retired and, by writing that, I am not trying to upset anyone. We genuinely feel for the folks that find themselves between a rock and a hard place due to these restrictions, like those parents who have school-aged children and struggle to make ends meet because they are forced to miss work to care for them. Our own children have both been forced into a loss of wages due to work shut downs or slow downs and, thankfully, we're in a position to help them, should the need arise. IMHO, Canadians are overwhelmingly doing the best they can with what they've got, and it's really nice to see neighbours helping each other. Case in point, just this week many grocery stores announced early shopping hours for seniors and those in vulnerable states, all in an effort to relieve stress.

I'd be remiss if not publicly acknowledging the people in our community who have been tasked with keeping things going during all of this, due to the nature of their chosen field:

1. The health care system deserves as many accolades as we can heap upon them for their selflessness and sacrifice. It is for them that Joyce and I are doing our little bit to the best of our ability to reduce the pressure, even if just a wee bit, they feel during this crisis. 
2. The front line workers in grocery stores, gas stations, city services, trash collection, etc all deserve a thunderous applause, our empathy and appreciation. Life would be significantly more unbearable were it not for their bravery in putting themselves out there ... every day. We have to remember that the problems we encounter as we manage our lives are NOT their making, and frustrations should never be directed at them.
3. The infrastructure workers who continue to do their part to ensure that "business as usual" is as close as possible, given the restrictions. This is a huge number of workers ... police, ambulance, logistics, repair + maintenance, etc ... who have to leave their families each day, in the face of this pandemic, to bolster a floundering economy with hopes of staving off, or minimizing, a full-blown recession.
4. I am sure there are others that I neglected to mention. I apologize to them.

What it turns out to be ... for us ... is something strikingly similar to what we were doing in our new retirement routine, minus the socializing stuff like dining out, having a cocktail or two at a pub, or taking in an event or some kind.
True, we have cut down on the trips to this store or that.
True, we have been way more aware of thorough hygiene practices, especially when returning home.
True, we pay close attention to trips out to avoid the potential of close quarters with the Joe public.
True, I personally miss the regular trips to the gym because home workouts generally suck.
Having admitted to all of that, we don't find the rest of our situation that much of a change.

In a typical day:
We arise when it suits us ... read that as neither of us can sleep in anymore ... good morning Mr sun!
We are in data-collection mode for the first hour awake ... fuelled by a good cuppa Joe.
We do a job around the house ... recently, we generated multiple garbage bags of clothes to donate.
(RULE: If you haven't worn it in 12 months, you should consider letting someone else wear it.)
We go for a great walk either around our very quiet neighbourhood or a trail somewhere.
We get in some self-growth time ... she reads and I read or write or workout.
We cook a meal together ... and clean up the mess together ... tres cute, eh?
We watch a good show or movie ... we're working our way through Netflix' Vikings right now.
We head off to slumberland at a time that would disgust my teenage self.
Press Repeat

In the end, regardless of circumstances, we all have to be willing to do our part to, as the media keeps telling us, "Flatten the curve" by slowing the spread of this incredibly contagious virus. Things will go back to a new normal but first we have to ride the wave of what the WHO calls an INFODEMIC, a glut of intentionally misleading and cleverly synthesized stories, often spread through Social Media.  Here's a link to one case on the site "The Scientist" where an old article was picked apart to incite some completely false accusations CLICK HERE. As the article outlines, and many experts in the field have publicly agreed with, the evidence supports a natural progression for the SARCoV-2 virus, NOT something someone cooked up. This sort of thing drives my up the wall! I really cannot fathom what a person gets out of inciting panic through the spreading of false claims ... More Likes, Hearts, Thumbs, etc? I'd love to see this sort of thing punishable, although I have zero idea how to enforce it.

I'm not nearly intelligent enough to have a quality guess about what the world economy will look like on the other side of this pandemic, but I have faith that we will all make out well enough. Time Magazine recently posted an article that stated, 

"Economists say the sudden stop in spending could strike a bigger blow to the global economy than the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, since nobody knows when it will be safe for people to go out again. Compounding the crisis is the impact to the service sector, which weathered downturns in the past as people continued to get their hair cut and eat out. This time, that sector of the U.S. economy has come to a standstill since most of the jobs in it can’t be performed remotely." 

I watched a video the other day with a financial expert who said that it would take a particular percentage of the GDP to keep the economy afloat. He felt that the PM's recent announcement of 25 Billion in aid would be close to the figure needed. There is general disagreement about what the future holds but "The Economist" recently posted, 

"It is not all doom and gloom. So far there are few indications—either from weekly jobless claims or from company announcements—that joblessness is rising. Worries that broken supply chains would stoke inflation also look overdone, for now at least."

The optimist in me prescribes keeping my chin up, make the best of the situation, however difficult it becomes, and continue to live each day in the moment. Worry and dread never proved useful tools for anyone. Since we have a plethora of time, feel free to ask for a favour, should it be required. We promise I'll do my best. We'll see all y'all on the other side.