When the Pool Expands

I remember what it was like when they first mentioned a new virus. It was in January. In a lot of ways, felt I was the only person that heard it.  Deep in my gut... a slow-burning sense of dread.  Ever present.  Ever-growing. A feeling I could not shake.  Chocolate didn't help.  A big rich meal and wine did not help. Sleep began to become more difficult.  

A steady beating drum....... It's coming.  It's coming. It's coming........

It's contained.
It won't get to Eastern Washington
It is just like the flu.
It's a left-wing conspiracy. 
It will dissipate in April.

Oh, the quarantined ships, well they are not Americans so they don't count. 

Oh, we are screening everyone that comes into the country.  We let them arrive after hours in close contact and then we screen....hmmm?

No one can come into the country.  Now we don't know if they are positive because we don't have any real testing because this is America.  We are immune to all bad things.  

Oh, we are ready.  I was thinking about ready when I looked up the amount of hospital beds we have in this country.  Less than a million.  

We are fine. We have this under control.

Spreading
Spreading
Death
Spreading

Now what? We all enter my world.  

From the beginning, I was confident I knew how to deal with this.  I spent over seven years facing a world full of pathogens.  Simple things could kill. Simple things did kill.  What you eventually realize is that your mind needs a project to keep from thinking about what is happening to you and yours.  I think as a species we need to think we are "doing something".  Something.  Something to make things better.  The need propels us forward and keeps us sane to a certain extent. But where do you start?

Washing your hands.
Using hand sanitizer when no soap and water were available.  

Wiping down door handles and other surfaces.

Tasering anyone that sneezes in your direction.

Wipe down places people touch.  Door handles, phones, handrails, the outside car handle, the inside car handle.  It all is germy.  Wash all your hand towels every day. With Bleach.  Throw away sponges.  Make everyone that comes in the door use your special home-made hand sanitizer.  When did alcohol begin to smell so bad?

Essentially what happens is a new awareness.  A new appreciation of how many surfaces are lurking out there.  A new form of hyper-vigilance.  Every moment of every day your adrenaline surges through your body.  

You have To bE careful.
You Have to Be careful.
YOu have to be CareFul.

This will be a much cleaner world.  It might not be a much friendlier world.  But at least wiped down and freshly sanitized.