Ben Affleck socially distanced dining-in at Savannah’s B&D Burgers last Wednesday

Bless their hearts

One month into reopening thus far, it’s not so bad in the Empire. Guess we barefooted, way too early, jumping the gun, southern hicks got lucky. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Last weekend’s national news reports mentioned a sotto voce how we Georgians hadn’t seen a spike in infections or deaths after three weeks, and our numbers were actually trending downward. Some folks down here said they could see, hear and feel their thinly veiled hope that the numbers would turn against us as time marched on.

My reaction: Aren’t they precious? The sun must indeed rise daily to hear them crow.

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My list of things I fortunately avoided during the plague lockdown — a capella groups, mimes, and televised soccer in empty stadiums.

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As the plague’s energy seemed to continue flagging against its Coastal Empire victims on late April, some in the hood sensed that man was slowly winning. Reports of anti-plague treatments flowed with infrequent trial hints of success which “experts” as if reading from a script had denied their availability to us for at least 18 months. This promising future efficaciousness still does not prevent the disease from hounding down, cornering, and leaping at patients.

Still to small but growing numbers of listeners, the plague seemed to be leaving us locally as unaccountably as it had come. So, we wondered whether it is defeated, retreating to regroup or going off to some distant corner of the globe to die a lonely death.

And so it went on.

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A week further into the plague’s local decline in early May most everyone we know seemed to be struck by our abrupt changes of mood and our halting abilities to resume our pre-plague life’s humdrum. For example, it was really hard to go out to shop for a single missing item for that day’s meals vice our prior limiting ourselves to one trip to the grocery every 7-10 days during the least busy tine of the store’s hours.

We couldn’t divine what was underneath this agitation and unease at believing the right-around-the-corner final reopening of our self-imposed plague gates. Did we sense that our very human desire to return to the “before” state of living was impossible since the plague had changed things and changed us? We seemed to be discovering that we couldn’t forget everything, however great our wish was to do so. Even as it receded, the plague was leaving traces in our minds and scars on our hearts and souls. So our fresh start will likely have a distinctly new meaning. Our new reality is less a clean sheet, but better than the dimly lit hall we are emerging from.

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Despite opening up four weeks ago on April 24th, it seems now as if nothing had changed in the town when April closed out. Silent as ever by day, the streets started slowly buzzing louder bit by bit mid May as night fell with the usual but smaller crowds of people, now wearing masks, bandanas or scarves. Some cafes and restaurants did decent carry out business with some plague prevention measures and fewer employees. Customers were smiling as never seen before. The dominion of the plague was ending. At least for now.

Meanwhile, there were small, some would say crucial, symptoms of a growing optimism. Toilet paper remained in stock for five straight days at our local Kroger store according to a neighbor. Laughter and voices once again could be heard now and then on our front sidewalks. A few more cars seemed to be parking on our block.

Socially distanced church service attendance was being planned and then held in the neighboring Palmetto State. Minor details, but significant. A state of subdued yet positive ferment is taking hold.

In the majority of our neighborhood houses the blinds and shutters are beginning to open and stay open despite the increasing days of summer-like 90 degree temperatures as if a feeling of deep relief is afoot. We older ones still hoard our hopes and forbid ourselves to talk much if at all of it with each other until we are quite sure we are justified. What makes our waiting in silence tolerable is the new lack of fear and terror. Our real liberation is coming.

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Author’s note: my handwritten notes have become a bit harder to read, perhaps due to fatigue. My notes now jump abruptly from one topic to another without transition on my note pads, making their transcription and sense-making more difficult. What’s more, a certain personal bitchiness creeps back in for a while now and then.

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First OMG plague moment: the local Army Airfield Base commissary had three differtent brands of toilet paper fully stocked yesterday.

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For the first time yesterday, W and I heard more frequent sirens of ambulances and squad cars that mean car accidents and other 911 health issues are on the upswing. Never thought we’d welcome that but we do as it promises the return of a plague-free days and nights. Our long vigil is closer to its end. Will the plague concede defeat?

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Savannah restaurant signange mid May

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The lessons from my youth I have relearned during this plague are simple ones, not saintly or profound: “appreciate the moment” and “do the right thing.” “Savor all of life’s thrills and chills,” but “be kind to your fellow flesh and blood” also bear mention.

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