Levity

                I think I’m going on a news and Facebook fast. I do this sort of thing all the time: I try 30 days with no gluten; I abandon TV for a season; I’ll turn off my cell phone for a week. I even gave up coffee, for a time. I am a cold-turkey kind of person: once I decide not do something, I won’t do it. I excel at deprivation. I behave. That is, until I feel like I’ve proven the point enough, or get bored and need a new fix. Quitting is my high. I wish I had the other side of that coin, for I am terrible at keeping up streaks, at the doing. Those 100-day challenges to exercise or make something every day? Forget it. Day 3 and I’m out. I can’t even manage to take a daily vitamin. This Viralry is the longest streak I’ve ever had.
              So, I think an information fast is in order. Unless it’s “Yay! We’re all cured!” or “Boo! We’re all gonna die!” I don’t need to know. We’re somewhere in the middle at the moment, and will likely stay in the gray for a while. There’s not going to be any big revelations on hand-washing in the coming weeks. If my son ever gets on the school bus again, I’ll know something has changed. Till then, I need a break. The news is mostly projections, analysis, anticipatory worry. It will come to pass, or it won't. I will keep on following the rules.
              I’m already taking it all as seriously as I can.
              Except when I’m not. I laugh at memes of people wearing dog “lampshades” with the caption: “You have to stop touching your face! It’s for your own good!” I laugh at a photo of grocery store shelves, empty except for sad, plant-based meats, with the caption, “We’re scared, but we’re not TOFU scared!” I laugh at more photos of grocery shelves: “Even in a pandemic, New Englanders refuse to eat Manhattan clam chowder.”
              And I started playing a (socially distanced) party game today. A friend and I were texting, taking one word of any movie title and replacing it with the words Toilet Paper: Gone with the Toilet Paper; Toilet Paper of Endearment; The Toilet Paper Strikes Back! Fried Green Toilet Paper. And my favorite: Indiana Jones and the Last Toilet Paper. OMG. I could do this all day.
          Admittedly, a news fast might be harder for me this time. There is such a pull to check the latest, to see what sharks are circling now, but it serves me no good purpose. The only information I want is information I can’t get: my husband’s test results are still out in the ether. Till then we keep on doing what we’re doing. I don’t believe that ignorance is bliss, but I believe there are times when it’s okay to go to bed with the knowledge you have. For a few days, at least. 

Comments

  1. LeslieMarch 27, 2020 at 9:15 AM

    That's exactly what I've been doing - no news. It's depressing and scary and I can't do a damn thing about it. If something momentous happens, I'll hear about it somehow. Until then, it's pleasant tv, lots of craft time, reading, and getting outside for walks.
    Saw a thing where people were loosely gathered in lawn chairs in someone's driveway - they called a "6 feet apart-y". Yuk yuk.

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