Thursday, April 9, 2020

Back to the Drawing Board

We may think we're not being physically impacted by the global pandemic, but we are mentally. I had a progress phone call with an author today, and I wished him a happy Friday. He thanked me in advance, and assured me he is starting by having a good Thursday.

I looked up how to clean an eraser today. I know how to clean an eraser. My brain just cannot access that information now.

Getting my brother his breakfast, I changed up the order of prep, and poured milk into his already poured orange juice glass instead of his cereal.

On hold for 40 minutes to handle a banking transaction yesterday, I forgot what I called to do by the time I got to the person who could help me.

We have been semi-isolated in our house for 15 years. A Three Story Life chronicles this journey. Our father died in 2017, and, while we have adjusted best able, it limits how often I leave the house. When I go on my version of abroad - grocery shopping, lunch with a friend, the rare and wonderful whole day outing - I have to have someone here to be with my brother.

For most of those years, I made money illustrating from the Artist Dungeon. I did not meet the people who hired me. I could work 24 hours a day in my pajamas as long as we had toilet paper and coffee.

That is a lot of experience that should hold me in place well.

It don't.

There is a difference between being homebound and being housebound. We are finding how prepared we are, our institutions are, our government is. When we are back to business as usual, I hope it isn't business as usual. Back to the drawing board.