Return to life! Michael E. Gonzales

A return to life!

I don’t know how things are where you’re located but here things are starting to open up. Safety protocols are of course in place and for the most part people are using common since.

My wife and I have enjoyed several dinners in fine restaurants, we’ve been shopping, and I have returned to work!

I gave some serious consideration to writing a story about a deadly pandemic, but let’s face it, that story line has been done to death.

While entombed at home I noticed that every plague movie ever made was on TV, repeatedly. At the recently reopened book store all the stories about disease had infected the front of the store.

If you’re like me, you’ve had enough!

Are you not tired of feeling like you’re cheating death, that the hooded specter is waiting right outside your door? Who among us wants to see anymore doom and gloom TV shows, movies or read books about it?

I’m done.

I’ve seen the result of over exposure to the media in some of my friends and colleagues, they have become paranoid. So fearful to breathing they’re wearing masks that put the military to shame.

They’re using hand disinfectant so often their fingers are drunk.

I’m not burying my head in the sand, I am aware. But when it comes to my precious few hours to myself, I want to escape into something fun.

Bring on the silly cat videos! Show me your baby eating a piece of cake! Where’s that dog trying to bite a stream of water?

And when I pick up a book, give me a good old-fashioned ghost story. Let me dive into a romance that breaks, then mends my heart. Bring on that alien invasion. Take me to a colony on Mars. Fly me to the Moon!

As soon as you can, get out, soak up some sun, mingle with friends and neighbors. Return to life just as soon as you can.

All that said…go wash your hands.

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Quarantine! by Mike Gonzales

Wow! What a month, eh?

I found myself sequestered at home on April 1st, no fool’n!

To say the least doing nothing is a challenge. First, I finished a WIP, then I went back to self-edit a couple of older stories.

Next, I binge watched three different series on Amazon Prime.

The day came when I shocked my darling companion by dusting my study. She nearly fainted!

I shocked myself when I just said “NO” to eBay!

Eventually, I broke out an old puzzle, spray painted all the pieces white, and started on it when it dried. Yesterday I gathered up all those pieces and tossed them into the garbage!

Like everyone, I’m counting the days till this is over. My darling companion refers to “a return to normalcy.” I wonder…will we ever return to life as it was?

I have to reply, “yes.” 

The 1918-19 pandemic, per capita, was infinitely worse, killing more people than WW1. And that horror was followed by “the roaring twenties!”

Bottom line; do not give up hope. We’ll survive this, together, and roar on into the rest of the 2020s!

In the meantime, read something! Fire Star Press offers anything you might want to read. I suggest you dive in…

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Living in the Twilight Zone

A month ago I had no idea we would all be living in this new somewhat surreal reality. I knew it was only a matter of time before the coronavirus wreaking havoc in China and Italy made its way to our shores. I did not realize just how bad it would be; I don't know that any of us did.

Admittedly, I'm an introvert, so social distancing is my norm. My husband and I began limiting how much we left the house three weeks ago. Now that we have a month or so of it still to go I'm getting a bit twitchy. I miss being able to eat out. Even though I took over primary responsibility for cooking after I retired last year, meal planning is still not my forte. Non-stop meal planning for the foreseeable future? Ugh.

As most anxiety sufferers will attest, anxieties and long-term stress don't mix well. It also doesn't matter how logical the anxiety sufferer is, anxiety itself is not logical. Even though my anxieties are generally well-controlled, I really struggled for a while. When mine were at their worst a couple of weeks ago, I didn't want to eat. Why? Because eating would mean using our supplies and using supplies meant going to the store to restock and the thought of shopping was almost enough to make me hyperventilate. As I said, not logical.

In order to help put my anxieties at ease, we have changed the way we shop. I am now placing orders for groceries and other supplies online and picking them up at the store thereby negating the need to mingle with crowds of people. I know some people have been doing this for ages but it's new to me - it's also wonderful.

Image courtesy of depositphotos.com

However, as of April 1st, COVID-19 is no longer just a faceless specter. It is now wearing the face of my youngest son. My son contacted my husband when he left work on the 1st stating "I think I have it." Once he got home he took a picture of the thermometer - his temp was 102.5 F. I sent him the number of a coronavirus hotline. The hotline told him that he was one symptom away from testing by a mobile unit and to call back if he developed a cough/shortness of breath - and that, effective immediately, he must quarantine himself for 14 days. As of today (April 2nd), he has the cough/shortness of breath and the complete lethargy other sufferers have described. I'm in full mama bear mode. I want to load my car with soup and Gatorade and go see my son, but I can't. In short, this sucks.

These are difficult times and they are going to get worse before they get better. However, they will get better. In the meantime, we need to be kind to each other and love on each other - from a distance of course. Call/text friends, share funny memes, and take time away from the news/social media. Staying connected 24/7 won't change anything except you - and honestly, not for the better.

How are you doing? What are you doing to keep yourself sane during social distancing?

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