To be fair, I picked this one up from a friend and modified it slightly.

Just so I NEVER forget…Today is April 14, 2020.

The price of gas within a mile from home is $1.99

Social-distancing/self-isolation measures are on the rise. There were no gatherings of 100 or more initially, then 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or more – all within less than a week.

Schools are cancelled – March 13th to May 4th (so far) and online classes started for my son, and paper worksheets for my daughter. Both have weekly Zoom calls with their teachers and classmates.

Proms are graduations are cancelled.

There is tape on the floors at grocery stores, gas stations, liquor stores, and other places to help distance shoppers at least six feet from each other.

There are a limited number of people allowed inside stores so lines are outside the doors until an employee allows you in.

Non-essential stores and businesses have been mandated to close. Restaurant lobbies have all been closed, but do have takeout and delivery available.

Parks, trails, and entire cities are locked up.

Entire sports seasons are cancelled including basketball (which was the first to cancel because a Utah Jazz player tested positive), hockey, and baseball, to name a few.

Concerts, 😭 tours, festivals, and entertainment events have been cancelled or postponed.

Weddings, birthdays, family celebrations, holiday gatherings – all cancelled or postponed.

All churches are closed.

Funerals – no more than 10 people can attend.

Some mothers are having to birth at hospitals alone. (But many are deciding to birth at home)

We are not socializing with anyone outside of our homes. Most employees are working from home, but many are not able to work at all. Unemployment filing is over 6 million.

Outdoor play parks/school playgrounds are closed and roped off with “crime scene” caution tape.

There is a shortage of masks, gowns, and gloves for our first responders and care center and hospital workers. There is a shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.

Panic buying set in right away. There is no toilet paper, disinfecting supplies, paper towels, laundry soap, hand sanitizer, and staple foods like flour, sugar, and canned goods. Senior citizens have special shopping hours to ensure they get what they need. Many shelves are bare.

Manufacturers, distilleries, and other businesses have changed their production lines to make hospital personal protective equipment (PPE), visors, masks, and hand sanitizer. 3D printing companies and individuals are making medical PPE for hospitals.

The government has closed all borders to non-essential travel and interstate travel is closed to all non-essential workers.

Fines have been established for breaking the rules. Here in Utah that order was cancelled within 24 hours, but it stands in many states.

Cruise & military ships, stadiums, and recreation facilities have opened up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.

Press conferences are held daily by President Trump. There are updates multiple times per day on new cases, recoveries, and deaths. Domo has established a website that updates worldwide down to county statistics every 10-15 minutes.

Government incentives to stay home have been established.

There is barely anyone on the roads, even during rush hours. The Las Vegas strip looks like a ghost town and major cities, especially Salt Lake City (during the worst time for the inversion), have clear, crisp air surrounding them.

People are wearing masks and gloves outside when they do have to venture out.

Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.

Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families. Many are sleeping at their workplace as to not get their family members sick.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Why, you ask, do I write this?

One day it will show up in my memory feed and it will be a yearly reminder not only of what our reality is, but that life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.

There has been so much beauty through this as well. The creativity seen in memes, karaoke groups, parodies, singing from the balconies, neighborhood Zumba groups from backyards, virtual choirs and symphonies, and entire cities singing and applauding to celebrate healthcare workers has been overwhelming to witness.

We have so much!

Be thankful. Be grateful.

Be kind to each other, love one another, and support everyone.

We are all one! ❤️

It must be February. I’m grateful that I haven’t gotten super sick in a long time. About a year to be exact. I don’t know what it is about the end of January, first part of February, but almost every year I get a horrible sore throat. Last year it was a bad case of Strep. This year? Well the jury is still out on what’s going on with me! I went to work two weeks ago with a sore throat. I didn’t have a fever. The only thing wrong with me was my throat. I thought maybe it was allergies, so I donned my mask and went about my day. I got home late from work and my throat felt worse. I woke up in the middle of the night with my throat on fire. Felt like I was swallowing a fire poker. My work offers Teledoc through our insurance, so I figured, it was worth the $45 to set up a call with a doctor. Within an hour I was on the phone with one of their doctors. She was very helpful. Did you know that you can actually buy Rapid Strep A tests on Amazon?! This was defintely news to me! She thought it was viral. Advised me to get a Strep test just in case, and told me to get a nose spray and some allegry pills. If the test came back positive I was suppose to call back and they would call me in a perscription. She called in a perscription for a lidocaine gargle for my throat. Not a fan. Was so thick I couldn’t get it to gargle, so I ended up choking on the medicine and then puking. Not fun when your throat is already on fire. Nothing was seeming to help. I tried everything. My favorite go to has definitely been hot water, with lemon and honey. My sore throat turned out to not be strep and was viral, just like the Teledoc doctor said. The sore throat is gone, but this cough is still lingering on. Looks like I’ll be drinking more hot tea. Perfect on this cold winter night.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton