It's the End of the World as We Know It, and I Feel Fine

In the "Before Times" people gathered in crowds to celebrate momentous events. For birthdays, weddings, and various holidays people could gather in reception halls and eating establishments and eat an amazing variety of food. There were places where people gathered in large auditoriums and watched moving pictures showing epic stories. There were large stadiums filled with 30,000 to 50,000 people watching overpaid athletes play sports with millions more watching on TV. If you didn't want to be part of the crowd you could go to any of the many well stocked grocery stores and buy food and cook an intimate dinner at home.There were endless travel options available from cruises to the Caribbean, a trip to Rome, or tours of mysteries of far away lands like China. We didn't know it at the time but it was the golden age of humankind.

                                            
I am a science fiction fan and have watched many apocalyptic end of the world movies This week as the number COVID-19 cases increased and the government took more actions to try to slow the spread and flatten the curve I got the feeling like we are in one of these movies. To be clear I'm actually not overly worried that the world will descend into a state of lawless chaos. I think our state is doing the right thing and in a few months we will all make it out the other end of this with some interesting stories. I think the best analogy is that this is similar to what felt like to during WWII when the government had to put restrictions on travel and ration food and supplies.

Even with the new restrictions my situation isn't too bad. I work from home anyway so work is more or less the same as usual. We were well stocked before the crisis and have been able to get most of the stuff we need to hunker down and carry on. These restrictions will mean, however,, that I won't range as far and wide on my normal bike rides as the weather gets warmer. The PFW and most other clubs have cancel all club rides to support the push to slow the spread and have everybody practice social distancing.

Even though the governor has asked everybody to stay home and only travel to get essentials it doesn't mean you can't go out and exercise. You just can't congregate in groups and must keep your distant from other. With this in mind I did go out for a ride today and invited a few people along. The people I ride with are losers, loners, insane people nobody would go near, people who understand the seriousness of the situation and know how to follow CDC guidelines to keep themselves and the people around them safe. We did ride farther apart than we normally do and when we took a break we still kept our distance. I actually brought a visual aid with me (a six foot string with a nut on the end) that I spun around my head to show what a safe distance is. Jim took a video of it so I hope he posts that.
 

 

It was good to catch up with everybody and see how they were fairing during this crisis. Everybody is anxious, of course, so its important to get out and exercise not only to feel better physically but also to improve your mental state. I intent to keep riding as much as I can. I will probably keep the rides a little shorter and stay close to home. That way I can bring all the food and drink I need and won't have to worry about going into a store and possibly leaving with more than the food I bought. 

This is definitely one of the worst crisis to befall our country and really the whole world. I am both heartbroken and encouraged by some of the things I see people doing around the world. There are many wonderful random acts of kindness. Especially seeing the people sing from their balconies, in Italy, as way to come together and lift their spirits in amid their tragedy.

I do believe we will get through this even though I think there has been a few missteps in the initial response. As Winston Churchill said 

"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else"

So hunker down and stay safe. Here are a few tips to help you. 

• To escape a pursuing zombie you will need to out-run it, and this means being in good shape
• Always double tap. When in doubt, don't get stingy with your bullets.
• Wear a seat belt. You won't be driving along easy roads anymore: with numerous things to avoid you need to be ready for a crash!  
• Before getting into the car and driving off, check the back seat for any hiding zombies.

Sorry, these are for the zombie apocalypse. That will be next summer after something goes awry with the COVID-19 vaccine causing some people to turn into zombies. (I'm sure the SyFy network is already working on this movie.) In any case just follow the CDC guidelines and you will be fine. I also recommend reaching out on social media and keeping in touch your friends and family.  Although we can't physically meet we can still stay in touch and help each other through this.