The Ribbon of Road Ahead

Written March 1

There were many games played by the batch of kids in our neighborhood.  Between Berney Drive, Celestia Drive, Wallace, Trimble Road and Delmont street, there were three girls and at least and dozen and half boys.  When a large group turned out to play “Ditch em” was the game of choice.  It was the team version of the “Hide and Seek” game we played when only a few turned out.

In Hide and Seek, the “finder” names the “home base”  and counts to ten while everyone else scurries to find the best hiding place.  They stay hidden until the finder passes by them and then they make a run for the home base.  If the finder tags them, they become “it” in the next round.

How does this correlate with the virus that has invaded our part of the world?  Right now we are playing Hide and Seek.  Here in Oregon, the Governor has shut down schools and any school-based or community activity where over 250 people may be together.  It’s hard on our small communities, this being the St Patrick’s holiday and all events canceled.  Social distancing, where two people do not get closer than 3 feet from each other, has been declared a necessary approach to fighting the virus, as has hand washing and “Not touching your MEN” (mouth, eyes, nose).

What started as the smaller Hide and Seek from the virus has turned into a full out game of “Ditch ’em”.  Those parents who are still working cannot just “ditch” their kids.  Grandparents who may have been called upon to watch the children are now the most vulnerable to infection.  Assisted living facilities are on lock-down with no visitors in and no residents out.  Incarcerated people are susceptible to disease transfer, living in such confined quarters. As more people become ill with the virus, they will unknowingly infect others. Waves of sick people will come to already full hospitals. What happens when the hospital staff become ill?

The stock market drops.  The government discusses economic boosts to the airlines (what about cruise ships?)  Flight crews, attendants, ground crews, food service … thousands of people in this industry alone are out of work.

More and more players are joining in the game.

Hide and Seek .  Will we ever find the way out of the game?