Not about coronavirus. Except also that.
Kenny Rogers died the other night, and there was something very strange about the coverage. Or rather, not the coverage itself, but the way I heard it. It was strange to hear the story…because it wasn’t about the coronavirus. Last week I hit “next” over and over again on my morning news app, trying to find something that wasn’t about the pandemic, and finally gave up when a promising lead about zoos turned out to be dealing with animals when their keepers are quarantined.
So I was determined to blog this week…these weeks…about something other than this virus. Luckily I have a stock of travel tidbits to pull from, and will return to those after this post, but last night I finished The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry, about masculinity in the modern age, and it tempted me to say a word on the topic.
Except the reason I was reading in the predawn hours was that economic fears resulting from the virus had me sleepless. (Funny how one bug can wipe out all four legs of one’s financial seat.) My partner in quarantine was laying there beside me, also sleepless with stress, and it was immediately apparent to me that she didn’t really need to hear about my worries, she has her own.
So I got up and made her a cup of tea. Then washed the slow cooker that was “soaking” in the sink (after we were both too tired for that daunting last dish before bed). She still has a job, albeit for a non-profit (a sector whose title must surely derive from an assessment of the wages) so I’m tapping this out in the kitchen while she’s on a call in the front room. Once we’re both done I’ll look for some other way to ease at least her day, if not her worries. Then I’ll clean something. The blinds are overdue.
The face of a man, entering this country, ready for this moment. Kinda.
And there it is. The answer to both my own “WTF do I do now?” angst, and a piece of the answer to “What is it to be a man now?” It’s caretaking. Caring for others, long a stereotypically feminine trait, is what’s going to get my manly ass through this morning. I wish it was pure and old-school heroic moneymaking, but at the moment…I’m hosed. So I’ll caretake her and anyone else as best I can, while watching for a chance to get dollars. How 21st century manly of me.
There you go. Everything’s not just coronavirus after all.
Awww, lovely post, stay safe guys, looking forward to positive news re you both.xxx
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Is it okay to admit that we’re actually rather enjoying all this time together? The longer term repercussions remain to be seen, but in the meantime, we’re cooking more, she’s making clothes, I’m 99% talked into trying it myself, and we’re working our ways through a series of good books.
How are you doing?
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Hang in there. I know what you mean about that daunting last dish before bed.
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Some things never change, I guess. 😉
All this time at home, and decreased trips to the store, have had the effect of diverting us into some new areas of cooking. We did a giant hunk of pork shoulder the other day that was an experience… Now we just need to figure out how best to use all this lard.
How is your sequestership going?
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Stay safe and sane in these crazy times. And well done on the caring for your partner approach.
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We’ve reached a nearly competitive level of “let me make tea and grab some chocolate for you” habits. They may have to make that part of the Olympics in the future…
How are you doing with all of this? Where has it settled you?
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We are in Abu Dhabi, where home still is for us, but we are longing and dreaming of the open spaces of the land we purchased in Portugal. I cannot wait for our little house to be finished that we can make the move. But for now, we are grateful that my husband’s job is still intact and he can continue to work from home. Some days are harder to stay sane than others, but despite the challenges there is still more to be grateful for than not. Stay well!
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I have no comforting platitudes to offer and can only echo Peggy’s advice to hang in there.
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Thank you Brenda. Things are actually going pretty well here, all things considered. So many good books in this world! How are you doing up there?
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We are good at hunkering down, but worried about everyone else.
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I posted a blog entry yesterday that had nothing whatsoever to do with the coronavirus…which came one day after I posted an entry about blogging through the pandemic (the title of which is “The Elephant in the Room”). It’s almost impossible to ignore.
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