Facing at least two weeks (and likely more) of living a life in circumstances never before imagined, I’ve decided it’s the perfect time to return to daily writing. Daily published writing. And I’m giving myself the permission to suspend the evil self-inflicted standards of perfection. Given my lack of regularly published writing over the past years, I’d say perfectionism has not served me particularly well. So, here goes …

SUNDAY, MARCH 8: Sunny; warm enough to not wear a jacket.

Home: Went to BJs. A normal weekend experience, but everyone wiping down carts and following up with hand sanitizer. Hard to stock up w/teens; bought mostly the same stuff as usual. Felt like I was a week behind the frenzy.
Reading: The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson
Listening to: The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

MONDAY: Gorgeous. Hit 70 degrees. Felt like spring was really going to come early.

Work: Mostly normal. Went for a long walk at lunchtime. Should have gone to the flower show.
Home: Evening activities as planned. 
Reading: All This Could be Yours by Jami Attenberg
Listening to: Her Money with Jean Chatzky podcast

TUESDAY: Sunny, cooler, but still unseasonably warm.

Work: Met with a friend for coffee and to see the flower show together. Flower show cancelled. Talked in meeting with supervisor about the possibility of working from home. “We have time to figure that out,” was the general consensus.
Home: After-school Quidditch club as usual. Middle-school band concert cancelled.
Reading: New York Times
Listening to: NPR, Relax Melodies app

WEDNESDAY: No memory of weather details.

Work: Daily morning briefings begin. Full-on crisis mode. College sending students home. Three staff meetings. Letter drafted and sent to the greater community.
Home: Forget to go to ballet. Make dinner. Watch president on CNN. Also, NBA suspends season. Tom Hanks tweets he is infected. (The general public seems to maybe be paying attention?)
Reading: Twitter, CNN, Twitter, Facebook, Twitter
Listening to: NPR (why is it fund drive week?!)

Daily sister texting increases exponentially.

THURSDAY: Chilly, cloudy.

Work: First Facebook Live experience. A beloved tradition, recorded and shared. Only one brief thumb-over-the-camera incident. 
Home: Go to grocery store. Spend an additional $300. Still feels like a normal amount, buying normal things (plus a few extra boxes of sugar cereal and extra potato chips). Still feel like I will never feel “stocked up.” (Three kids, partner w/ big appetite.) See: Not enough carts. Shoppers who look very uncertain. Long lines. People buying coffee makers. Don’t see: Tofu, rice, lentils. Toilet paper (duh). Feel: Low-level panic of surrounding shoppers.
No sports to watch. Acquire mom’s (GG’s) Netflix password.
Reading: Wednesday redux
Listening to: NPR, sports radio

FRIDAY. The 13th: Weather. Cold, rainy, a glimpse of sun that goes back to torrential rain at the exact same time as the president’s “State of Emergency” address.

Volunteer: Call to determine the necessity of suspending and postponing business at the nonprofit whose board I am on. Decision: Necessary. Communication drafted and sent. Calls made to personally inform community.
Work: Eerie. Standing meetings outside. Regular work suspended to make time for crisis response and messaging. Colleagues packing up computers and office supplies, preparing to work from home.
Home: Homemade pizza for dinner as usual. No sports to watch.
Reading: SO.MUCH.TWITTER.
Watching: CNN