Haunted

I won't be going back downtown for quite a while. At least two weeks. Maybe longer. Without the tourists, office workers, servers and bar tenders, retail counter people, salon stylists and nail techs heading to work, the streets are going to be empty.

What does this mean for the homeless? What will they do without all the foot traffic, without the strangers who are willing to share their change? Now, when hygiene is so important, where will they wash their hands and go to the bathroom? Starbucks has been very sympathetic to their plight, but now Starbucks is closed.

They're going to get sick. Some are going to die.

Some give loving care to the dogs and cats by their sides. Others are veterans. All of them are people.

Thinking about it breaks my heart.

I just made a contribution to The Night Ministry, a group that is providing street medicine to the homeless during this crisis. If you have anything to spare, I encourage you to find a resource in your own community.

A suggestion from Kathy

My friend Kathy is over 70 and has health issues. So I'm going to keep close tabs on her during this corona virus scare. If a day goes by without a Facebook post or a text, I'm reaching out.

Lest you think I'm a saint, let me dispel that. I get a lot from our calls, too. Over the decades of our friendship, we've had our problems but those are in the past now. There's a mellowness and affection in our every exchange now. I treasure them.

And, every now and then, there's a valuable little nugget that I didn't know before. For example: she pointed out that Listerine is an antiseptic and contains 21% alcohol. Since it's designed to kill germs in the mouth, it's effective on toothbrushes and thermometers. It also cleans minor cuts and blisters. Since she couldn't find alcohol or hydrogen peroxide at her favorite store, Dollar General, she tossed an extra bottle of Listerine into her cart.

I've been taking my temperature every day, so I added a bottle to my cart, too.

Meanwhile, on Facebook

I can't take credit for either one, but am happy to share both.

Let's promote laughter and love.

Oh, yes I did!

I tried to join a webex meeting this afternoon. Distracted, I dialed as if I was at my desk. Which means I first dialed 9 for an outside line, then 1, then the meeting code, that began with 1. Only I didn't need to dial for an outside line. So I'd dialed 911. The Emergency Number.

I'm such an idiot.

When I explained to the dispatcher, she was very gracious, but told me that a squad car was en route anyway.

I felt so bad that I waited downstairs for the police and when she arrived, I came out in the rain to tell her I was OK. The officer, too, was gracious, telling me no apology was necessary and she was glad nothing was wrong.

I was drenched in guilt and humiliation. Oh yeah, and this caused me to miss the meeting. The first real work I've had all week!

My boss had given me a quick overview of what the content was going to be, and so I was able to give him a few topline ideas anyway. I don't think anything will come of it, or this project, but at least I did what was asked of me.

And I have an anecdote for when someone asks me what I did in self quarantine.