I Miss Hugs

Daily Mail UK

"All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another

human being, not just with my hands,

but with my heart."

--Tahereh Mafi

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

For most of us, we are in the second or third week of lockdown.  It's been long enough that some actually miss going to work.  As much as we like time off, the pandemic takes all the fun out of it.

The thing is, the mandatory stay-at-home order doesn't seem to be having any effect.  The virus is still spreading, people are still getting sick, and some are still dying.  Some of us are actively ignoring the  quarantine.  Over the weekend, Virginia governor Ralph Northam was so frustrated at the crowds that gathered at the state's beaches, that he shut them all down.  In some cities, the police are beginning to cite and/or arrest people who are daring to go out and gather.  For the more compliant among us, the novelty of being home is wearing off, and the walls are beginning to close in.

Cheryl and I are fortunate in that we are both still working, although her hours have been cut back.  Where I work, the whole Coronavirus thing is up front and center, a crisis that has become all-consuming.  I get to interact with my colleagues on a daily basis, and I'm beginning to appreciate what a valuable thing  that is.

But even with that, I know now that there are certain human interactions that are necessary to our emotional well-being.  The more I thought about it, I realized how much I've missed the simple handshake.

Passing the Empty Hours

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

So, almost everyone is stuck at home these days, by now bored silly.  Hence the myriad videos hitting social media of folks doing silly things in the attempt to maintain sanity.  Ironically, we can all recall moments at work when stressors were piled upon stressors and we fervently hoped for some unscheduled time off.  Now that we have it, many of us are longing for a return to work.  

A big part of that wistful yearning is the fact that nothing fun is open.  Theaters, fun stores, parks, museums, gyms, etc, all those places we used to while away our spare time are closed.  So, we're left to our own devices to entertain ourselves.  Jigsaw puzzles have become really popular, and now people can start a Monopoly game and actually have time to finish it -- provided all the players are at least six feet apart.

We went to Costco last week, actually twice.  We showed up about an hour before opening to see a line running around two sides of that massive building.  We got gas at a station that was nearly empty, probably a reflection that most people are driving way less than normal.  We came back about 12:30 to see no lines at all.  We walked in and were able to move around quite easily in a store that had way fewer people than normal.  True, the hot items -- wipes, nitrile gloves, cleaning solutions, and of course toilet paper were sold out, but we are still well supplied with those items.  All the food we were looking for were there, except for Cheryl's favorite oatmeal, and my favorite bottled water -- Propel.  

Reliving a Memorable Day

The familiar white blaize of

an Appalachian Trail marker

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

These are difficult times, and the constant consideration of them can lead to a darkening of one's mood.  Having had my fill of such contemplations, I spent some time today thinking back beyond all the sadness and uncertainty to a day that just might be described as one of those truly perfect moments.

We were living in Virginia at the time and because of the schedule I was working with FBI, I had two weekdays off.  One of those naturally was used up for errands and other tasks associated with the requirements of life.  The other one was all mine.

I had taken up hiking on the suggestion of my doctor that if I didn't want to be in a wheelchair by age 70 (much closer now than it was then) I should cease my daily runs and take up something much less impactful to my joints.  Having done my research, I discovered that the legendary Appalachian Trail ran through Virginia not too far from our home.  The trail ran through the state for some 550 miles, and I would, over five years, end up hiking about 200 of those miles.  I have clear and distinct memories of nearly all of those hikes, undertaken in all seasons and in a variety of weather conditions.  Collectively they remain some of the most cherished of the recollections which lie stored in my mind.

I suppose that, in a desire to seek out pleasant thoughts in the current unpleasantness, it was only natural that I would find myself back on that trail.

It was a lovely spring day.  The snow was long gone and the cold, musty air of winter had been replaced by the invigorating aroma of new life spread by the warm, gentle breezes.  I was full of anticipation as I drove west on US 50 to a place called Ashby's Gap, where the Appalachian ridges sloped down to a saddle through which the road passed.  To the north lay 14 miles of the challenging trail section known as the "roller coaster."  To the south, the trail passed through a state park and a wildlife conservation area.  This was my favorite stretch of the trail, a frequent choice for me.

Viewing History from the Inside Out

The Johns Hopkins counter as of 3:50 AM HST, March 24

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

At one point a few years ago, I was doing research for a paper on the Black Death, the name given to the pandemic of Bubonic Plague that swept through Asia and Europe in the 14th century.  I had read Barbara Tuchman's "Distant Mirror" and also searched through most of the online sources.  As I dug, I developed a kind of morbid fascination for that period, mainly through the individual stories of those who lived through that time.  The viewpoint from within that rolling disaster is necessarily different than the historical one, and I wanted to know what it was like to be there, watching the deadly events unfold.

Fast-forward to 2020, and now I'm living through a pandemic of my own.  When I wrote about this nine days ago, I was considerably more optimistic than I am now.  I assumed that people would be acting responsibly, but the horde of dumb kids swarming to spring break hotspots dispelled that notion.  Now, its being reported that some of those kids are testing positive for the Corona virus, a result that surprises no one except them.  

Here in Hawai'i, there are now 72 reported cases across the state and now the first death.  What is most disturbing is that for that first fatality, the virus wasn't discovered until after the patient died.  One has to assume that there are dozens, if not hundreds more who are infected but don't know because they are either asymptomatic or not yet presenting symptoms.  Individual counties began instituting stay-at-home orders (each major island is a county, by the way) one at a time.  Governor David Ige seemed reluctant to impose a state-wide lockdown, but once Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell issued his own order, Ige was forced into issuing the statewide lockdown order.  There are a lot of exceptions, such as necessary trips to replenish supplies and food, joggers and walkers, and those who are considered emergency essential which includes both Cheryl (a nurse) and I (state EMA employee).  

Surfing the Wave of Panic and Fear

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

First off, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to you folks who come here to read these postings.  Especially now, I know there are multitudes of items and events competing for your attention and I appreciate that you choose to spend what little extra time you have reading this blog.  From the bottom of this writer's heart, I thank you.

I won't rehash the sequence of events leading to the global situation that now exists.  Certainly you have been informed, perhaps over-informed of what has happened.  In the last two weeks in the U.S., the coronavirus and it's associated illness, COVID-19, has expanded rapidly.  As of right now (00:55 HST), as I look at the Johns Hopkins dashboard, the only really accurate accounting by the way, the number of active cases are now 2,952 and 57 people have died, 40 of which are associated with the cluster at an elder care home in Kirkland, Washington.  The only U.S. state still reporting zero infections is West Virginia.  Globally, it seems that the outbreak has peaked in China and South Korea, thanks in large part to the draconian measures enacted by those governments.  Now that Italy has put in place a nation-wide lockdown, it appears that the number of new cases is beginning to flatten out.  

Coronavirus occurs in several forms, and has been around since about 8000 BCE.  In recent years, this family of virus has been responsible for both SARS and MERS, as well as the current COVID-19.  Digging into the statistics from CDC, you can find that nearly all of the illnesses, perhaps as much as 80%, result in either mild or completely asymptomatic (without symptoms).  The high-risk demographics are the elderly with underlying medical issues, and those with compromised immune systems.  Nearly all the deaths in the U.S. fall into these two descriptions.  The youngest person to die from COVID-19 was a 22-year-old who was an addicted vaper.  For those outside those categories, the risk is still very low.

Random Thoughts....

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

February 2nd is about a month in the rearview, but the glow of the Chief's victory in Super Bowl LIV has only slightly dimmed.  I even had a fellow (a 49er's fan, naturally) suggest that I should fast celebrating the win for Lent.  Fat Tuesday chance, that.  It's hard for fans of other teams to understand the dynamic of a half-century of waiting, while enduring a long and excruciating string of  playoff losses that could only have been scripted by Stephen King.  This one was special, and felt earned.  So, yeah...I'm gonna continue to celebrate.  At least until the Chief's fumble away Chris Jones.  Anyway...

Like most other folks, I and my colleagues at Hawai'i Emergency Management Agency, are carefully monitoring the spread of the Corona virus, and its associated illness, COVID-19.  While there are a number of people self-quarantining here, there has yet to be identified a single case here in Hawai'i.  Still, the people of the Aloha State are managing to indulge in their well-known ability to panic.  On the mainland, grocery store managers note that panic buying prior to dangerous winter storms spark runs on mainly three items, eggs, bread, and milk.  One wag noted that perhaps a Winter Storm Warning should more properly identified as "French Toast Alert."  Here, and other places in the mainland, the top three items have been toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and disinfectant wipes.  The latter two I can understand.  But the first one has me baffled.  Shelves at warehouse stores and other big box retailers have been swept clear of toilet tissue.  At a local Sam's Club, a semi truck full of TP was sold out in 12 minutes.  Retailers here have instituted rationing policies.  But the runs continue (pun unintended).  

Media outlets have been accused of over-hyping news stories.  This one may qualify.  When you look at comparative numbers...

Flu                1 billion cases worldwide, 450,000 deaths.  32 million cases U.S.  18,000 deaths 

COVID-19    91,000 cases worldwide, 3,118 deaths.  105 cases U.S. 6 deaths.