(This is German for "people," by the way.)
Can we even imagine?
Can we even imagine going through the beginning of this crisis-turned-quarantine without technology?
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| Remembering we have a huge backyard and can have our own "quarantined outside space." |
But rewind yourself to Autumn of 1999 (if you existed then, haha). Some were nuts, some were fine, but we were all a little unsure about: Y2K.
The extent of our "technology" was two cordless landline phones, one 24-inch television box with thirty-eight channels, a bulky Apple Macintosh computer monitor WITHOUT INTERNET (we had graduated from a green-screen to normal color display maybe a year or two before), I think we had a printer of some kind, and *maybe* my dad had a brick of a cell phone. Do cassette tape decks and VHS players count? Oh yes, we also had a record player.
The main fear with Y2K was that our "computer-dependent-world" (LOL twenty years later) would collapse when the computers tried to update to the year "2000" and wouldn't be able to handle something about the "00" in short date format in binary code, blah, blah, blah, and now I'm freestyling.
So when the computer systems would collapse, the entire economy would collapse, all stores and businesses on computer systems would collapse, entire education and health systems would collapse, the electricity - water supply - phone lines - heating/cooling systems - propane supply - etc. - would ALL collapse, and we would be stuck in our homes with no utilities or access to the extended world.
My parents were not insane "preppers," but they also didn't want to be irresponsible if something were to happen. We saved water in empty milk gallons. We bought more non-perishable food items. Looking back, I don't know how many weeks we could have really survived on whatever we had, but we were ready to survive at least a little bit!
And then: nothing happened.
But 21 months later on September 11, 2001, we learned we had much bigger problems to deal with and that changed us.
However. Now rewind your imaginations back to whatever you know about 1914-1945.
I'm not an expert on any of this, but you can read Wikipedia during your unlimited temporary free time and learn some history. Here are the links to save you time. LOL.
World War I > Lost Generation > Black Tuesday > The Great Depression > World War II
There are many, MANY movies about these eras. You can comment below with which ones you think are the best, most thought-provoking, most accurate, etc.
I personally think I have learned the most from visiting Normandy, Berlin, the Anne Frank House, and the Corrie ten Boom House; reading Diary of Anne Frank and Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy; and watching The Sound of Music and The Book Thief (also a book). There is a film about World War I that I haven't quite gotten to yet that also looks really intense: Testament of Youth.
(These are not affiliate links and I receive nothing if you make a purchase.)
Here's what I know.
My grandparents were all born between 1928-1930. The entire foundation of their lives was the Great Depression through World War II.
None of them liked to talk about any of it. I heard some stories about the lack of food and why they were committed to using every resource available, nothing could go to waste.
I am still discovering a love for the music of this era: Big Band, Swing, Jazz, etc. Since this weekend, listening to the music, I hear something different.
I hear the distraction of it from worrying where the next meal would come from. I hear the bounce and pop that could make someone feel like dancing even with no money in the bank. I hear the desperation of the strings that matched the desperation in the hearts of those with loved ones abroad in danger. This music was deliberately designed to cheer people up and to help them through one of the toughest times in history.
My same fifteen-year time frame was basically the Berlin Wall coming down through the Columbine School Shooting then through the September 11th attacks.
I was never in actual danger in California (except from possible earthquakes). I was scared of possible terrorist attacks that never did quite make it to my front yard. I didn't fear school shootings right away, but did later when I started working in public schools. But nothing like that happened where I was when I was there.
Let's not even talk about the kind of ridiculous music we listened to in the 1990's. ;)
The point is: if this is the most difficult human catastrophe we have had to live through so far, with full cable packages and internet and smart phones and social media support and more information and entertainment options than we could ever possibly exhaust in a lifetime...
We should be grateful that "heroic action" during the Zombie Apocalypse is to literally do nothing.
We should be grateful for what our grandparents and great-grandparents had to sacrifice, weather, and survive, and respect their fragile health right now by sitting at home.
Sigh. Let that sink in.
Pivoting now to current timeline.
Well, to finish what happened on Day 2, I did actually vacuum. 60% of the house, for the win!
More pro players have been able to fix releases for termination agreements and schedule their flights. We should have everyone who wants to be home by Wednesday evening. Please keep them in your prayers for their travel safety and also for the health safety in the overcrowded re-entry airports.
I really hope and pray that all of the Americans re-entering the United States will respect the seriousness of the 14-day quarantine and not assume they don't have the virus just because they personally feel fine.
Despite having aged exponentially in the past six days (for me, the shock started to hit on Wednesday with the news of my teammate's coworker), I think many of us are going to experience an unbelievable amount of relief when this is all finally over. I do not know when that will be, but I realize that even that uncertainty will contribute to the joy and overwhelming relief whenever we get there.
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| "Corona wrinkles" will be the next mark on us. |
I actually thought this parent was accusing me of being hungover from drinking too much Corona beer.
I had no idea what this crazy person was saying, so I let out a light and confused laugh with the pathetic amount of strength I had, and went on my way. I may have even said, "Ich trinke kein Bier," but I don't remember for sure.
It's incredible how much can change and be learned in just six weeks.
Instagram has been a great source of inspiration and expression for many of us.
Here are some of the topics and questions my Instagram friends wanted to know about.
1. "Can you set a basketball?"
YES. I even used to do it as a passing technique when I actually played basketball.
2. & 3. "Marc's weird tendencies" & "Marc quotes. Lol"
Burrowing, or "burrito-ing," in his bed blankets & "I hate kids."
4. "The shelf life of a Twinkie"
I'm not sure, but I think the sponge can last much longer than it should. I do know that one time, at sports camp, I ate eight or ten in a row during a skit for the campers. Semi-worth it.
5. "How are you surviving without training?"
Easy. Like THIS.
Day 3, you're done! I am really looking forward to Thursday (Day 6) when hopefully all of the players are totally at home and I can work on new projects.
You can follow all of my daily updates during the CoVid-19 quarantine here.