With ‘rona wreaking havoc on the world, our plans have changed, yet again. Jeremy is hightailing it from the west coast to my sister’s, and we’re staying put in Savannah until further notice.
This wasn’t an easy decision. While we watch the number of confirmed cases and deaths rise, we still can’t help but wonder if the hysteria is truly warranted. Maybe the world is overreacting. Maybe it’s not. Both of us would love to throw caution to the wind, grab Mark and Jack and charge west. But who are we to say it’s safe? Safe for us or safe for those we’ll interact with along way. What if our actions cause someone to get infected and die. There’s no way to know, and we feel like it would be socially irresponsible to take that risk.
Until last night, I considered myself a healthy person with minimal risk of ‘rona taking my life even if it infected me. After hearing about a 34-year-old guy’s life being claimed whose only “weakness” was childhood asthma and bronchitis problems he outgrew, I can’t help but think I might die if I catch the ‘rona because I had the same problems as a kid. I’d planned on planting a fat kiss on Jeremy’s face as soon as I picked him up from the airport, but even that plan changed.
To avoid inadvertently killing me, my 75-year-old mother, and possibly anyone else in the family, Jeremy will self quarantine in my sister’s Airstream. Since the ‘rona can hang out and not rear its ugly head for up to two weeks, this will give it time to show itself should he be infected. If he appears to be symptom-free, he can commence comingling with the fam!
For the two weeks of Jeremy’s leper status, he’ll enjoy all the comforts Airstreams have to offer. We’ll all still share meals, being careful not to handle any of his dirty dishes. My sister lives on a marsh with tidal water access, and Jeremy plans to commandeer a kayak and go fishing as much as possible. Him and I will still hang out some, just no physical contact and maintaining our six-foot space barrier.
During this time I’ll be doing a mock self quarantine in Mark, and I am beyond excited. Like most structural abodes, my sister’s has a flush toilet, tons of space, reliable wifi and, most importantly in this Georgia heat, air conditioning. Combine this with my paltry willpower, and I’m finding it hard to really live in Mark full-time. Sure, I come out to check on the cat and sleep, but I feel like a part-timer.
The next two weeks I will live the van life. Afterall, Jeremy is my pandemic partner, and he’s living outside, I’m living outside. It’ll be an opportunity to spend some quality time with Mark and discover what works and what doesn’t, all while having a steady supply of power and potable water. It’ll give me time to make any changes to Mark we deem necessary. As soon as Jeremy is a free man again, we’ll finish the doors together.
I need your opinion people! On the Foosebook I see people posting a daily summary of their quarantine life complete with photographic evidence…should Mark do the same?
