Journal of a Lockdown No. 32

I'm past the 30-day count for the Journal of a Lockdown, an idea inspired by Jessica Zafra, one of my favorite Filipino writers in English. Since our home confinements, the world has undergone massive changes, but there are reasons to celebrate. I'm still alive, and if you have the time to read this, I suppose that you are, too. A friend from church, diagnosed to have severe Covid-19 infection, is now extubated. My family is safe. Thank you for asking. I pray that you are well.

From a public health standpoint, we have increased the number of people who've been tested, clinical trails to search for cure are under way, social distancing measures are being implemented, and, although still the exception rather than the rule, there are now emerging trends that indicate the eventual flattening of the curve in some parts of the world.

What I initially thought was going to be a short-term blog project will likely become a semi-permanent fixture. I'm running out of things to say about the coronavirus and have begun to talk about myself. What topic could be more boring? But I carry on. Setting aside a few minutes a day to write, throwing my thoughts out into the void, has been therapeutic for me. I encourage you to start blogging, or resume the habit, if you dabbled with Blogspot and Wordpress URLs in the past. Your writing doesn't have to be perfect, just truthful.

Other than the New York Times news briefings that are emailed to me each morning and the blogs I subscribe to, I don't know much else. This is a small price, and yet a bigger reward, for social media distancing, a survival strategy to keep the fake news away, and the anger and frustration it can lead to. I have felt so much better.

After my refreshing afternoon nap, I sat in the small balcony to spend the afternoon. I watched some more episodes of Parks and Recreation as I sipped my concoction of espresso and sparkling tonic water, inspired largely by this recipe. At five o'clock, I heard clapping and shouting in my neighborhood—a show of gratitude to health-care workers and people in the front lines.

These days I am so easily moved.