fear – Natalie J. Case

I feel like there should be something witty or comforting to say right now, but the world around us is falling to pieces, people can’t work, can’t make money and the bills still come. All around me people who work in stores and salons and theaters are filing unemployment claims to try to scrape by while we shelter in place.

For most of us born after the last world war, this is unprecedented.

It’s an odd thing. As an agoraphobe, this is largely how I live anyway, but now that I have to live this way, I find myself frustrated a little at not being able to just decide to build up my courage and take myself out somewhere…to the park, to eat…whatever.

I probably wouldn’t anyway, but we always want what we can’t have, right?

Shelter in Place…a term we have used mostly as a means to keep people safe during terrifying emergencies like an active shooter, an escaped convict. Who thought we would ever use it to keep people safe from a virus?

Well, if you need something to occupy some of your time, my vampire novel, Forever, is now available in audiobook format and I have some free codes if you’re interested in reviewing it. Just hit me up on my Facebook page.

And with that, dear Readers, I am off to make some more coffee, drink some more water and prepare myself for a day of phone interviews. Stay safe, wash your hands, shelter in place and we’ll get through this thing together.

It’s a scary time out there, Readers, and I hope that you are all alright and taking good care of yourselves and your family. As someone with a mother in her 70s with compromised lungs who lives with people in the service industry, it’s kind of terrifying.

Everyday I worry that my brother or his family will bring this virus home and not even be aware of it, but I know my mother is sensible, and I know that she’s washing her hands and using sanitizer, and I know the family is doing everything they can to help keep her safe.

I know that for people in the service industry, this crisis has to be terrifying as well, not just the idea that they might get sick, but that they might lose income from cut shifts, lose their jobs if they get sick and have to self-isolate for two weeks or more, and with those loses comes loss of housing and an inability to pay bills.

So far, our response to this virus has not inspired confidence in either our national safety nets or our healthcare system. We appear to have no real plan in place to deal with this kind of swiftly migrating illness, and that in and of itself allows the virus to continue to multiply.

We need to protect our most vulnerable. We need to demand national sick leave from all employers. And if you can, stay home. Keep your kids home. Find fun things to do as a family.

Even my employment search is being impacted. What would have been an in-person interview next week is now a Skype interview. Most of the companies that I am mid-interview process with are on mandatory work from home orders. I guess that means I don’t have to worry about appearing rude if I don’t shake hands.

I’ve never been a germaphobe before, but I’m starting to see the wisdom in keeping my hands to myself. I hope you are all taking care of yourselves too, and wish a thousand acts of kindness for you all.

I’m off to make more coffee, and find out what my cats just knocked off a table in the living room.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Tag: fear

sheltering in place (and Forever in audio)

keep your hands to yourself