Welcome to The Corona Diaries!

I have decided to create this new category to create a space to share thoughts and ideas in this strange, new totally and bizarre world. This new space will be free of politics any of the harsh realities that present themselves to us throughout the day. It will serve as a place of wonder, contemplation and a place to share ideas, thoughts and even our fears as we all enter this brave new world together. I hope that we can all look for the best in all this has to offer and that we can share those things that bring smiles to our faces. I have turned on my comments and hope that you will all share your thoughts, questions and fears.

Week 1 and a little background

I am now calm, cool and collected. Well as calm as I will ever be. (Those of you who know me know that I am not calm by nature!)

Three weeks ago I watched in horror what was happening overseas as my ex husband prepared to take my children to Disneyland in Florida. I knew that it was a matter of time before things would start to change here.

Terrified, I began to panic and tried in earnest to enlighten all those who thought this was all some great big joke and a hoax. As I watched what was happening in Italy I knew that the truth wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows right. I feared not for myself but for my children who were headed to the eye of the storm. My ex thought I was being overly dramatic and I knew that my barraging him with stats and facts was driving him insane. You see, we agree on about 95% of things that come our way with regard to the children. On the subject of Florida and the virus, we just could not see eye to eye.

Finally, I told him I was terrified. I created an emergency contingency plan that he would need to answer before they took off. This was, I believe on Monday, March 9th.

My questions were:
A. You learn that while at Disney you learn that someone you were in contact with is in quarantine, what do you do? What do you do with the kids?
B. What do you do should you or one of the kids get sick?
C. What happens if something happens to you? Would Rebecca or Christopher be responsible for Alexander? (My youngest is still a minor and my ex’s girlfriend has no legal rights to my kids.)
D. What is the plan if the park shuts down?
E. What is the plan if the everyone in the hotel is quarantined?
F. What if the airports shut down?
Viable questions I thought.

There was a lot to think about and luckily he decided to cancel the trip 36 hours before they were to leave. On Saturday, the day they were to have arrived, Disney announced that the park would be closing. Exhausted from the stress of worrying about my children and relieved that they would be safe at home I broke down in tears.

Things started happening fast as I knew they would.
Suddenly all who doubted me started to listen.
Things were starting to get real.
I took to Facebook and began pleading, begging, for people to start practicing social distancing and self quarantine when necessary.
I worry for so many out there. I worry for myself and my own children as we are all high risk.
And yet I am amazingly calm.

Amazingly calm. I have my family, and that’s all I need.

I will do all that I can do.
Everything else is up to fate, isn’t it?

Week 1 was surreal but reality has set in… I hope you will follow us on our journey in this temporary new normal, and share yours with us too.