What Virus?

Today I learned an important lesson worth sharing, although I suspect that most people already know it and I'm just a slow learner. The lesson is this: Happiness comes when you're dealing with a big problem and then you get another one, so the first one gets put on the back burner while the second one makes you miserable. Then the second one gets solved and you only have that first one that was bothering you so much, but you're so grateful the second one is gone and just worrying about the first one is a huge relief.

The coronavirus has filled my head almost every waking second since it first appeared. It has robbed me of a two-week trip to Israel with dear friends that had been planned for eight months, kept me apart from my son who lives just 20 minutes away and denied me the comfort of socializing with friends. So when yesterday's innocent little spring snowstorm turned vicious and knocked out our power, I totally lost it. No hot shower, no morning coffee, food spoiling in the fridge, cell phone power dangerously low and of course a freezing cold house made me forget about the deadly disease possibly lurking on all our hard surfaces.

Waking up this morning was bleak. My husband and I managed to eke out one cup of coffee each from yesterday's ground remains. (We use fresh beans and an electric grinder.). The day wore on and the power company's website all but promised the power would remain out for at least a day or more as all of Maine had been hit hard. We discovered a tree down in our yard and six inches of snow blanketing the vegetable garden we started last weekend. Basically, boo-fucking-hoo.

Then, out of the blue, at 5:57 pm this evening, as I was walking around the house distributing the necessary candles and lanterns and flashlights to get us through until bedtime, the power came back. I was elated. And thrilled and relieved and more words like that. I experienced true joy for several hours, and actually still can feel the glow. As for the virus: What virus?