Book Review: Wish You Were Here

People who write book reviews are careful about spoilers -- either avoiding them or warning about them beforehand. In the case of Jodi Picoult's Wish You Were Here, everyone who writes about it is very careful not to spoil it for other readers because the unexpected turn it takes is such an important part of the experience. So I won't spoil it, other than to say that the turn was huge and made all the difference for me.

In Wish You Were Here, Picoult provides a nuanced exploration of the personal impact of COVID-19 from several points of view. Although this book feels very different from most of her other work, that nuanced exploration is very much Picoult at her best. She looks at survivor guilt experienced by those who are largely untouched (like me) side-by-side with the daily trauma felt by health-care workers. She spends more time than usual, for her, in examining romantic relationships. At times, this book began to feel like a romance novel and I almost put it down. 

Parent-child relationships are central to the story. As she peels back the onion of the fraught relationship that Diana, the protagonist, has with her mother, Picoult takes her on a twisted, often painful journey of self-discovery. Forgiveness and redemption ultimately enable Diana to find her way in the world, but I confess to finding the outcome equal parts sad and uplifting. 

This isn't Picoult's best work but even her "above average" is definitely worth reading.  

COVID-19 and a Caring Worldwide Community

Yesterday evening, all three major networks and many streaming platforms broadcast a concert called One World Together At Home. The primary organizer was Lady Gaga. She brought together an impressive line-up of iconic performers -- Elton John, Paul McCartney,  the Rolling Stones, John Legend, and many others. Three late night talk show hosts -- Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel -- were the "masters of ceremony." The evening also featured inspirational clips from leaders, including Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Oprah, the head of WHO, and the Secretary General of the UN. 

The purpose of the evening was to celebrate the heroism and sacrifices of the many front-line workers who are fighting COVID-19 and making it possible for the rest of us to stay home. Performer after performer, speaker after speaker, expressed the world's gratitude to these workers and praised the rest of us who support them by staying home. (Ironically, one of the key beneficiaries of the evening was the World Health Organization -- ironic because President Trump, in search of somewhere to pass the blame, just cut the US funding to WHO while his administration "investigates.") Amidst many inspiring performances, the final number stood out as the showstopper. Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, John Legend and pianist Lang Lang performed "The Prayer." There was probably not a dry eye in anyone's house.

This concert is a dramatic example  of the tremendous sense of community and shared responsibility that has arisen in response to the pandemic. New Yorkers stand on their balconies every evening at 7 pm to give a round of applause to the front-line workers. Performers record bedtime stories for kids. Many are sewing masks for healthcare workers. People are donating to various food shelves and relief societies. It warms my heart and makes me proud.  And yet...

As our son Jeff reminds me, "That's how people are behaving in our bubble, Mom." Another darker side is starting to appear, egged on by our President. We watched him appeal to people's frustrations and hatred of the coastal elite at the end of this week, encouraging protests. His instincts as a demagogue and wily politician tell him that a strong sense of community and compassion coupled with conscientiously following guidelines for social distancing will not bode well for him at the polls in November.   He's targeting "battleground states" with strong Democratic governors, including Minnesota, in his efforts to stir up unrest. It's quite frightening because his rhetoric now and in the past borders on inciting violence. I hate to focus on politics in these dire times, but I don't want to forget the increasingly crazed words and actions of our president.  Heather Cox Richardson wrote an excellent piece dissecting Trump's behavior and the rationale.

Despite the daily pain and anger wrought by reading the news, I have hope that all the acts of compassion and the strong sense of community will win out in the end.

COVID-19 and Politics

Things are so vivid now that it's hard to believe our memories of events, and particularly the sequence of events, will fade. But they will. It's important to record a few things while they are fresh.

As news commentators occasionally point out, we are so focused on the news around COVID-19 and the economy that we sometimes forget it is an important election year. In the past week or so, some big events reminded us, most notably Bernie Sanders' withdrawal from the race and nearly immediate endorsement of Joe Biden. As Bernie pointed out, it is critical for Democrats to unite to defeat the most dangerous president in US history. Far different from his lukewarm endorsement of Hilary and his failure to strongly rally his base to support her in 2016. Hot on the heels of Sanders' endorsement, President Obama, who has stayed on the sidelines until the primary race was decided, came forward with full-throated support and a promise to campaign vigorously. Now we await Biden's selection of a running mate. He's promised it will be a woman...

Also in politics, Wisconsin voters came out in droves -- wearing masks and mindful of social distancing -- to express their opinions. The Democratic Wisconsin governor had ordered the primary delayed until June because of COVID-19, but the Republican-controlled legislature took it to the conservative Wisconsin supreme court, where the executive order was overturned. (Republicans understand very well that voter suppression is an important strategy for them.) In addition to choosing Joe Biden (no surprise), the voters resoundingly selected a "liberal" candidate for the Supreme Court and threw out the conservative incumbent. Let us hope that is a good sign for Wisconsin in November.

Meanwhile, we are seeing signs around the country that the outbreak COVID-19 might be peaking. Leaders are starting to discuss what a "reopening" might look like. Governors, mayors, and business leaders are stepping in to fill the vacuum at the top. On both the west and east coasts, governors are forming consortia to jointly plan strategies for gradually lifting social distancing restrictions and getting people back to work. In Minnesota, our governor is also working with other government and business leaders on a plan to gradually "reopen." Given the lack of a successful federal program for the level of testing necessary, Governor Walz says Minnesota will have to "go it alone" in creating an infrastructure for adequate diagnostic and immunity testing.

President Trump has been holding almost daily press briefings that resemble campaign rallies. He and his staff are busily rewriting history to laud his great success in managing the pandemic. He's been searching for scapegoats, and this week he settled on the World Health Organization (WHO). He announced withdrawal of our WHO funding while his administration investigates their "mismangement" of the crisis.

Although he declared a national emergency in March, President Trump chose not to impose any kind of nationwide stay-at-home order. He deliberately left it up to the governors to make those decisions (and shoulder the burden of responsibility and blame). But now that we're talking about reopening, Trump wants desperately to be in charge and take the credit. Earlier this week, he said he would order all the states to reopen and, when he got pushback that such an order would be unconstitutional, claimed that as president he has absolute authority. Later, he walked that back, saying he will meet with the governors and authorize them to make their plans for reopening their states. I could write for days about how poorly suited he is to be our country's leader in this crisis.

But this story of politics is mostly good news. We are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and many highly competent leaders in state and local government, business, and public health are stepping up to plan an orderly, well-monitored return to work. On the flip side, those of us in the "high risk" category because of age and other ailments will still need to remain essentially under house arrest for the foreseeable future.

 

COVID-19 and the Future of Travel

Today, I feel fortunate and grateful. Last year, when we submitted our applications to renew our Global Entry, we had to list all the countries we had visited in the last five years. We knew our total count, but hadn't really looked at our adventures from that perspective. We were pretty surprised at the total -- and a bit impressed with ourselves. Since then, I've kept the list updated. Starting from March of 2014, we have been to 59 countries (including a fair number of repeats).

Especially since Jim's retirement in mid 2014, we've eagerly sought out new adventures, perhaps a bit too eagerly at times. As Jim emerged from cancer treatment, he said "I'd like to visit the German Christmas markets." It wasn't in our plans or our travel budget for that year, but we made it happen. Similarly, when our travel buddies said "would you like to join us in Tanzania next December?", how could we say no? It wasn't in the plans or in the budget, but...

When friends and family raised their eyebrows, we'd shrug and say "You never know what might happen. We're doing this while we are able." Or "You can't see the world on just one trip a year." We assumed that at some point, one of us would get ill or incapacitated in some way and we'd have to cut back on our travels. We never anticipated that the whole world would get sick and that travel would come to a standstill indefinitely. We are so glad that we were overly ambitious and often blew the budget, because, as we said, "you never know..."

This morning, I watched a panel discussion featuring four seasoned travelers / travel writers discussing what they think travel will look like for the next several years.  The women in the upper left, Barbara Weibel, writes a travel blog called Hole in the Donut Cultural Travel, which I read regularly. She's much more adventuresome (meaning unplanned) than we are, but has a similar interest in going beyond the iconic tourist spots and really learning about people, culture, and history.

All four panelists make their living primarily from their travel writing and photography. They all seem fairly intrepid, so I expected them to be upbeat and eager to be on the road again. But the discussion was very different -- sobering and realistic. Their assessment left me feeling grateful and fortunate (as described above) and really wondering if this is it. Will it ever be viable to travel internationally in a time horizon when we are still "young enough" to enjoy it?

Following are a couple key take-aways from the discussion:

• International air travel, particularly for tourism, is unlikely for the rest of 2020
• The cruise industry (especially massive ships) is probably toast for the foreseeable future
• Trip insurance, particularly for travelers over 60, may become harder to get, more expensive, and may include a COVID-19 exclusion.
• Right now, many countries have closed their borders. In the future, it is likely we will see something like the yellow medical card people carry for yellow fever shots. In order to travel, we will need to demonstrate that we have COVID-19 immunity or have been vaccinated (which puts many of us at fall 2021, optimistically).
• Travel will become smaller scale and deeper -- small groups staying longer in a single country, focused more on learning than getting that Instagram shot. Travel the way OAT and similar companies do it... if they can survive through 2020 until we are able to travel again. I think this might be a bit of wishful thinking on the part of the panelists because this is the style most seasoned travelers prefer. But if they are correct, it probably also means that international travel will become once again limited to the affluent or the people who are willing to go it alone -- no giant cruise ships, no big buses.

The future of travel -- and everything else -- is so uncertain right now. But I think we will need to supplement our world map adorned with pushpins with a companion map of the US national parks. I see at least one road trip in our future.

Reading Randomly

Over two millennia ago, Julius Caesar wisely said "A room without books is like a body without a soul." We don't have books in every single room in our house, but almost. Which I guess means that our house definitely has soul. 

I've often sheepishly said that I'm incapable of leaving a bookstore empty-handed.  So our house has a "real library," crammed with books that we've read and can't bear to part with. And then I have my "aspirational" library, scattered around the house, populated with books that I haven't yet read. Seeing them often fills me with a combination of guilt and embarrassment. But now I've discovered that my affliction is common around the world and has a wonderful Japanese name: Tsundoku.

One of my COVID-19 projects has been to tame my Tsundoku. I've collected unread books from around our house, alphabetized the fiction by author, and loosely categorized the non-fiction by topic. They are now neatly arranged on a bookshelf in my office, beckoning me to read them. They feel delightfully aspirational, and because the library is closed, they aren't competing for attention with my equally aspirational library reserve list.

Next problem. What to read first? Alphabetical order makes me cringe -- too pedestrian. Closing my eyes and pointing feels too childish for my aspirational library.  No eenie meenie or pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey for my Tsundoku. Then the geek in me had an aha moment. Random number generator. And Mr. Google quickly delivered just what I needed. With a click of my mouse, I spun the metaphorical dial and now find myself reading Angela's Ashes by Frank McCord.

As a final note, many of the entries in my Tsundoku are a mystery to me, meaning I have no memory of when I bought them or who recommended them. But so far, I'm glad that Angela's Ashes ended up on my shelf.

A COVID-19 List

For some unfathomable reason, encouraging your Facebook friends to copy and paste something you've written is a thing. I don't do it, just like I never used to respond to chain letters. I was always the one who broke the chain. But my "outlaw" (what do you call your son-in-law's mother?) posted this. It's a decent summary of all the things that have changed so dramatically in the last 3 weeks. So for posterity...

Just so I NEVER forget..... April 2, 2020

Gas price a few miles from home was $2.45

School closed until at least May 4th but likely rest of year.

Self-distancing measures on the rise.

Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.

Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.

Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.

Entire sports seasons cancelled.

Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.

Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.

No gatherings of 50 or more, then 10 or more.

Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.

Children's outdoor play parks are closed.

We are to distance from each other.

Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.

Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.

Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.

Shelves are bare.

Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.

Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.

Fines are established for breaking the rules.

Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients. Central Park setup by samaritans purse for patients.

Press conferences daily from the President. Wine with Dewine, Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.

Barely anyone on the roads.

People wearing masks and gloves outside.

Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.

Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Why, you ask, do I write this status?

One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.

We have so much!

Be thankful. Be grateful.

Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.

Science Rising Above Politics in the Age of COVID-19

Politicians just can't help themselves. Their world view values winners and losers, not collaboration. We see glimpses of global cooperation by political leaders, but only glimpses.

Scientists, on the other hand, are completely ignoring national boundaries in their race to find tests, treatments, and a vaccine for deadly COVID-19.  We don't know how the pandemic will play out on the world stage as the situation becomes increasingly dire and countries are vying for scarce resources. But as this article in the NY Times highlights, for now, at least we can rely on the scientific community to come together as never before. And that should give us all hope.

COVID-19 and Scary Numbers

Little by little, people (even the President, at last) are facing the shocking reality that exponential growth of COVID-19 cases and deaths is staring us in the face. Last night, a somber President Trump abandoned any pretense that we'd be getting back to normal by Easter. He said, instead, that we are looking at a very, very bad couple of weeks and that we need to practice social distancing at least until the end of April.

Current projections are that if we do most things right, between 100k and 200k people will die. If we do nothing, it will be more than 1 million. It's both terrifying and unbelievable. Even though we are essentially locked in our homes except for walks around the neighborhood or brief trips to the grocery store, it still seems unreal. We don't see evidence of disaster except on TV (and on the empty streets). On the other hand, it is hard to imagine how we will emerge from this situation any time soon. We were woefully unprepared to fight the virus, and we're equally unprepared to figure out who can safely return to work

People are working frantically to come up with answers and solutions. When pushed to the wall, Americans usually come through. At this point, it's a waiting game.

Emerging from Hibernation

Our president has foolishly floated the idea that our economy can be roaring again by Easter (just a few short weeks away). Public health officials are horrified but trying to temper their responses to avoid an unequal but opposite over-reaction to their advice. But to the president's credit, he has at least started a conversation about how we begin to get back to normal when the time is right.

Economists write that our economy was very strong going into this crisis, and it is logical to assume it will bounce back to a strong position. But I started to think about this on a micro-level, from the perspective of one company that I know and love. Emerging might, in fact, be very challenging. For some organizations, it might feel very much like starting over.

I mentioned in a previous COVID-19 post that our favorite travel company, Overseas Adventure Travel, canceled all trips departing in March and April. Based on the current state of affairs around the world, I think it is more likely to be July at the earliest, before anyone even thinks about international travel.  So, that means OAT will have been essentially closed for at least 4 months. With a stretch like that, resuming trips is by no means a trivial exercise.

Let's take the example of a trip we're considering in the future to Tunisia. It's a pretty typical OAT trip, 16 days long, including the two over-the-ocean travel days. The issue for OAT becomes how quickly they can reassemble all the elements that it takes to make this trip a success. How many of the people and organizations that they rely on are still in business and available? Here's what's needed:

• One flight on a domestic airline
• Two buses with drivers; one for 12 days from Tunis to Djerba; another in the vicinity of Tunis for 2 days
• 5 hotels, most for several nights -- ~16 travelers, including several singles, probably translates to 11 hotel rooms
• Most meals are provided -- so assume 10 locations for lunch and 10 locations for dinner
• A high-quality Trip Experience Leader
• Local guides for some cities
• And the activities -- museums, visits to local artisans, schools, markets

As a tour company with a reputation for high quality experiences, OAT will have challenging decisions to make. They need revenue, obviously. They want to start working with all their foreign vendors as soon as possible to provide them with revenue as well. And people (at least some people) will be eager to travel as soon as it seems feasible. But how many of the pieces of the previously well-designed trip need to be in place before they are willing to run the trip again? How do they balance speed versus quality and preserve their reputation and their livelihood?

This is just one example that I can envision because of personal experience. Now multiply that by all the different businesses that will be trying to emerge from hibernation. It's a complex set of interdependencies that might be very challenging to manage well.

COVID-19, the Media, and the Adults in the Room

We live in the Information Age. Compared with major health crises in the past, like the 1918 Spanish flu or even the 1957 "Asian flu" (which I had), we are blessed with good access to information. We have the ability to know what is going on, minute-by-minute, case-by-case, death-by-death. We can read analyses of how we got here and what the trajectory and possible endpoint look like. We can see how we stack up compared to other countries fighting the outbreak. This drives our president crazy, as he performs contortions to interpret these charts to make us look "the best."

My husband and I came of age in the golden era of the nightly news. Everyone watched. Everyone had their favorite network anchor. And regardless of which of the three networks you preferred, you watched basically the same version of the facts. There were commentaries with different slants, to be sure, but everyone agreed fundamentally on the facts of the major stories. We still enjoy watching the nightly news, like many in our generation. In this time of crisis, we appreciate the newscasters' efforts to be calm and factual, to provide well-considered analysis, and to give us the opportunity to hear from the experts.

When we listen to the renowned, well-respected public health experts, it has become apparent that they're being asked to play a role they probably never anticipated. In addition to laying out the facts and providing recommendations based on their expert analysis of likely scenarios, they also need to placate a tantrum-prone president. It's obvious that they are choosing their words carefully to avoid "setting him off" and causing him to take more irresponsible actions. They're dealing with him like you would deal with a high-strung recalcitrant teenager. We've watched in horror as the few "grown-ups" in this administration have left or been fired, one by one -- Rex Tillerson, James Mattis, John Kelly, to name just a few. Fingers crossed that these new grown-ups in the room, the public health experts, will be able to navigate the storms of their moody boss and remain effective.

We've also noticed that mainstream media (not Fox news, of course) is limiting their coverage of Trump's press briefings. Some have directly said that his inaccuracies and false claims are just confusing people. I think the media has gradually recognized that they were unintentional accomplices in Trump's election because they broadcast and wrote about every outrageous thing he said and did. In this time of crisis, they've taken that lesson to heart and are focusing on the facts and the genuine experts. The image is from an article on the Washington Post web site that makes recommendations about how the press should handle covering President Trump. To consider limiting coverage of a president because so much of what he says is misleading or dishonest is both unprecedented and necessary.

By contrast, we feel very grateful that in Minnesota we are lead by a whole group of adults-in-the-room, starting with our governor. In his press briefing on Tuesday, when he announced a two-week "stay at home Minnesota" order, he used charts to explain the scenarios and the thought process behind the decision. Not everyone responds to charts and graphs and factual analysis, but no one can doubt our governor's commitment to protecting Minnesotans, even if it costs him the next election. 

We have no idea what the next two months or six months or even eighteen months will look like, but capturing what it looks like and how we feel today seems like a worthwhile exercise.

COVID-19 and the Economy

Coronavirus isn't new. We've experienced a number of flavors of this virus through the years. But the virus that is ravaging populations around the world is being called COVID-19 (for the year it appeared) or novel coronavirus. "Novel" because no human body has seen this virus until now, and thus no one in the world has immunity.

Scientists believe it jumped to humans in a market in Wuhan China, probably when some kind of wild animal being sold for food was bitten and infected by a bat. The infection spread to humans and quickly adapted to achieve human-to-human transmission. From the perspective of the virus -- nirvana. A new target with zero built-in immunity.

Although specialists in infectious diseases started to express concern, most of us hoped (assumed) it was a flare-up in a few places -- first China, then Korea, and then Italy. We thought it could be contained, like Ebola and SARS. But about two weeks ago, it became obvious to people all over the world that the window of opportunity for containment was closed.  So now, we are all focused on suppression -- flattening the curve -- so that our medical systems don't get completely overwhelmed while we are developing treatments and a vaccine and building herd immunity.

Just two weeks ago, life was still fairly normal,and then suddenly, it wasn't. As we watched the number of cases rise exponentially and traverse the globe, governments around the world began to take drastic action. Italy, still the worst-hit place, went into lock down -- confining everyone to their homes except for necessary excursions for buying groceries and medicine. A hard-hit area northwest of NYC did the same. Countries began instituting 14-day self-quarantine for all arriving foreigners, with many ultimately closing their borders. 

In the US, the focus initially was on eliminating events where large numbers congregate. The NCAA canceled March Madness. When an NBA player tested positive, the league chose to cancel the rest of the season. Openings for baseball and soccer were postponed indefinitely. Soon, the focus moved to smaller events -- live theater and concerts. All this happened in just a few days -- the advice changing from "no groups greater than 250 people" to "no groups greater than 10 people." Then, about a week ago, many states closed schools and ordered restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and gyms to close. In the hardest-hit states (New York and California), they have basically gone into "shelter in place." All retail is closed except grocery stores and pharmacies. 

Our consumer-driven economy hit a brick wall or drove off a cliff -- pick your image. We went from 60 to 0 in the course of two weeks. The travel industry is virtually shut down. Most retail has closed its doors. And while many knowledge-workers can telecommute, that isn't an option for the vast service industry. Unemployment is expected to reach 20% in the next few weeks.

Right now, we're in a waiting game. Most people have been self-isolating for 10 days or so. It will be at least several weeks before we start to get an indication about whether it is working and we are flattening the curve. In the US, the situation is complicated by the lack of adequate ability to test. That makes it hard to measure how big the problem is and to know when and if we have turned a corner.

We all know the market hates uncertainty.  Economists are in agreement that this is both terrible and unprecedented. Basically, large segments of the economy have suddenly come to a complete standstill. And no one knows how long self-isolation will last. Optimistic predictions take us to the end of April before some easing. Others think the virus and its economic impact will ebb and flow for about 18 months. That's how long it will take to build some kind of herd immunity through the combination of exposure and vaccines. And no one really knows what a recovery will look like. We are all in uncertain times, both for our health and our pocketbooks.

Governments around the world are exploring options for shoring up their economies and preventing collapse. In many ways, this crisis, like a war, will test what we are made it. Do we try to protect businesses and the nest eggs of their investors? Or do we focus on ensuring that we provide a safety net for the "everyday people" who will be hit hardest by this economic catastrophe? I hope I can look back a year from now with the knowledge that we did the latter.

Settling in to a New Normal in the Age of Coronavirus

It's easier for us. We've been retired for awhile. We're used to filling our time with (mostly) worthwhile things so we can reach the end of the day without feeling we've wasted it. 

What's noteworthy for me isn't the social distancing, it's the digital coming together that's happening. And Zoom is proving to be one of the stars in this crisis. Monday night, my book club met via Zoom. Tuesday, we did "Grandma and Grandpa story time" with our granddaughter in Seattle. Wednesday, our whole family got together for a "welcome home party" for Christie, who is safely back from Africa. Today, I did "Grandma leads yoga" for our grandkids in Minnesota.

One of my former work colleagues set up a Facebook group where people can share ideas about what to do with all your new "social isolation" time. People are very creative, and they are sharing some great resources. For example, I had no idea that Broadway HD is available. Last night, Jim and I watched "She Loves Me." It was delightful.

I think that as people (adults at least) adjust to the new normal, they will find that filling their time isn't a problem. Almost 10 years into retirement, I haven't begun to run out of things to do. But I find the support people are providing as we all adjust is truly heartwarming and encouraging.

Leadership in the Time of Coronavirus

Our Minnesota governor rocks. Plain and simple. This past Sunday morning, he held a press conference to announce that all Minnesota schools will close from March 18 to March 31. He spoke with solemnity and compassion. He described in the detail all the discussions that took place in the days leading up to this announcement, the many details ironed out to make it as effective as possible and to mitigate the impact as much as possible. And I am 100% sure that not once in all those discussions did he ponder how it might effect his reelection chances. This is what leadership looks like in a time of crisis.

So many people are writing about Donald Trump and how his flaws and failures are magnified by this crisis. He is a leader whose character (or lack of character) will ultimately cost many lives. But that wasn't obvious to many people until now. I remember a discussion with my husband about a month ago. I argued that the damage we all thought the Trump presidency would cause just hadn't happened. My husband listed off the terrible, short-sighted actions -- the unqualified sycophants filling many government positions and the vast number of vacancies in other important spots. All true, I argued. We know that, but what empirical evidence do we have, what facts, to demonstrate that it has caused serious problems? Now, unfortunately, the results are in.

In times of crisis, character is far more important than politics or policies. Is a leader willing to face hard truths and convince the people to face them as well? Is he willing to make the tough choices and take responsibility? Sadly, our president is fundamentally lacking in character. He's a narcissist who is able to view events only through the prism of how they affect him, whether the world respects him, and his chances for re-election. And he's a pathological liar. He just can't help himself. He's incapable of telling the truth.

In the past several days, he is attempting to look solemn and presidential, to ensure that everyone knows he has always taken this crisis with the utmost seriousness. The fact that his previous words are enshrined in news tapes and Twitter just doesn't penetrate his brain.  But, for the record, here's a short history of how seriously he has taken this crisis for the six weeks:

As the saying goes, hoisted by his own petard.

Coronavirus lockdown -- looking back

Last night, we held our monthly book club meeting remotely via Zoom.  We're all over 60 and thus "high risk," so we decided in an abundance of caution to alter our plans. Every day brings new measures as we hunker down and try to avoid getting sick or infecting those around us. As the medical professionals describe it, we are attempting to flatten the curve of the outbreak so it won't overwhelm our medical capabilities.

One of my fellow "bookies" suggested that it might be a good idea to keep a journal so that a year from now, when we look back, we can remember how things progressed and how bad it was (or optimistically, how bad it wasn't because we took drastic steps).   

The world has changed dramatically in the past two weeks.  It started changing in January in China, but people elsewhere didn't take enough notice.  And then suddenly, it started to show up everywhere. And just like our leaders and even the media, we were slow to accept how fundamentally everything would change.  

We spent the last weekend in February / first days of March in Seattle visiting our kids and grandkids.  They were a bit under the weather with the flu and colds, so we mostly just hung around, played with the little kids, and visited. And we watched the news, as Seattle suddenly became the epicenter of the US outbreak. Coronavirus found its way into a nursing home among a vulnerable population who are most susceptible to its worst effects. It spread rapidly and people started dying quickly.

It became likely that the kids' daycare would close, leaving our daughter and son-in-law trying to work at home while coping with 2 pre-schoolers. We briefly contemplated staying to help, but decided we should leave Seattle while we could.  That was March 3.

At that point, Minnesota was pretty unscathed. Only a couple cases were reported, and they were people who could definitely identify how they were exposed.  Safely home from the hotspot, we carried on as usual.  Attending a few events, working out at the Y, walking the skyways downtown, eating out.

We were scheduled to leave on March 18 for an Overseas Adventure Travel trip to Israel and then a cruise of the Greek Islands.  We were starting to get a bit nervous but still thought we would go. Then, on Saturday, March 7, Israel instituted a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for all arriving foreigners.  I canceled our flights and hotels in Tel Aviv and waited for OAT to officially cancel the trip.

In a way, OAT was a bellwether for how adventuresome but educated people regarded the outbreak. OAT people are well-traveled and love to visit out-of-the-way places. We are older (which might mean wiser), and while we don't have the foolhardiness of youth, we also don't have the responsibilities of young parenthood to make us supremely cautious anymore.

Throughout that week, OAT selectively canceled trips around the world based on the status of the outbreak. We watched as things progressed rapidly. Countries closed their borders and instituted lockdowns. The virus spread to every corner of the world.  Finally, on Thursday, March 12, OAT made the painful decision that they were canceling all of their March and April departures.

On Sunday, March 15, our Minnesota governor made the decision to close all schools starting March 18.  The initial closing period of 2 weeks is to be used by educators to figure out plans for the possibility of reopening only as distance-learning institutions.  Beyond March 31, we don't yet know if schools will remain physically closed and for how long. All large venues (theaters, sports' facilities) closed as well.  Last night, our governor announced that all bars, restaurants, and gyms will close.  His message was simple. "Stop congregating, people!!"

So in a matter of 12 days, we went from thinking we still my risk a trip to Israel and Greece to being in virtual lockdown in our home.

I've read quite a few dystopia novels -- some excellent, others mediocre. In general, they are set in the rubble after disaster has struck.  The disaster might be nuclear war, pandemic, meteorite. They rarely depict the events leading up to the disaster. I sincerely hope that, with the drastic measures we are taking around the world, we're not getting a firsthand look at pre-dystopia.

And on that happy note, I'm off to practice yoga and then have video story time with our grandkids in Seattle.