Head Tale

It may or may not work but now that Scott Moe has released his plan for reopening the province, one benefit is that it makes it feel a bit more “real” that there will an end to this and the endless day of quarantine might come to an end.

That got me thinking about some of the moments that will likely stay stuck in mind when I think back on this time…

1. The pandemic was already going around the world and spreading across Canada but in many ways, the start of this being “real” for me was seeing my manager show up at my branch unexpectedly on a Monday morning in mid-March and walking purposely towards my office with a paper in her hand.  Without even talking to her, I knew that they were about to shut down the library system (to be fair, Saskatoon Public Library had announced shutdowns the day before.)  What I didn’t know if it would be just the public, certain staff, or all staff?  We ended up closing to the public that day and most staff except a few select ones were sent home two days later.

   

2. Before the library shut-down, I had some early indications about the ways the world had changed of course. In mid-March, I noted the changing toilet paper situation at a nearby convenience store.  Maybe a week after that, I was out for a walk and went past the same corner store.  A family was outside and I heard the dad taking orders from his wife and kids for what they wanted as they were going to wait outside while he went in to buy the stuff.  That’s when the *depth* of how society had changed probably hit me for the first time.
   
3. A couple weeks in, we went for a Sunday drive and a “COVicnic” (which, in hindsight, was something we probably shouldn’t have done – it’s small but there were risks that we could break down and end up interacting with a tow truck driver or others that we didn’t need to.)  Along that line, that meant we ended up stopping for gas at a rural station outside Regina that happened to be full serve.  The young kids working the pumps reminded me of myself at that age in my first job and that really brought home that so much of how people were being impacted by this depended on their position in life.  If I was 16 and this happened, I too probably would’ve just kept going to my job at the Indian Head Esso but because I’m a middle-aged professional, I get sent home with pay and society still keeps humming with others obligated to provide services to me.
   
4. We pulled our kids from school a few days before the official announcement was made that schools were closing.  We weren’t super-worried about the danger but in the early days, there was a lot of conflicting info and we decided an over abundance of caution was the best path. The only time we were back was to gather their stuff and that was strange too – walking through a mostly empty school but maintaining social distance as I had some strange “What *is* going on?”-type conversations with various teachers I know.  Then tearing up when we bump into Sasha’s kindergarten teacher and realising they can’t have a big hug like they normally would.
   
5. With the kids and I both at home, we were able to take advantage of the green space behind our house and started doing regular “soccer walkers” where we’d take a soccer ball on our walks and kick it around as something a bit more fun than just walking.
   
6. We were able to use online delivery services for groceries and avoid most trips to any stores (okay, I admit I hit the liquor store pretty early in this to stock up.  I went really early and the store was empty except for one other customer but I did feel like a bit of an alcoholic buying booze at 9am!) 😉 so my first trip to a grocery store, a few days before Sasha’s birthday when I hit Superstore so I could also pick out a few gifts I couldn’t get through online delivery (didn’t want to try Amazon as they have banners they’re only shipping essential items).  The store was like something out of a sci-fi movie – people wearing masks and gloves, glaring at others who got too close, huge lineups to go to the tills stretching to the back of the store as people stood six feet apart and were only allowed to go to an actual till after the person in front was cleared out completely.

   

7. Shea and I realise how fortunate we are to still both be working and have tipped especially generously to others we encounter because of it (I tipped a restaurant owner who laid off nearly 20 staff and is now running his business only with his wife and two teenaged kids and he actually said “That’s too much!”) But my most memorable tip was taping a $5 bill to the front door for the contactless grocery delivery person!

   

8. The one thing that we felt we didn’t already have or didn’t think to buy early on were masks.  We had a couple I’d gotten from my dad for painting/cleaning at our old house but ended up doing a six-foot distanced driveway swap with my folks where they brought us more masks (including some N95s!) and we gave them Lysol Wipes.  If there’s not a transaction that’s more indicative of COVID-19 world, I don’t know what it is.  Maybe trading toilet paper for yeast or hair dye? 😉
   
9. Watching the supper news one night and noticing the anchors, who usually sit shoulder-to-shoulder, had quietly shifted so they were sitting at the far ends of their desk from each other.
   
10. Virtual conference calls for work, virtual birthday parties for Sasha, virtual happy hours with friends, virtual check-ins with grandparents and other relatives!