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| George and Kate Findlay |
It’s been an unprecedented few months, especially for us younger folks who haven’t experienced rations and wars and restrictions on our day-to-day living. The World Health Organization declared, on March 11, 2020, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic (1).
The San Francisco Bay Area of California (where I live) was initially hit particularly hard with the virus. All of the people and things that we love were rapidly becoming inaccessible: Schools, libraries, parks, churches, beaches, friends over for dinner, museums, restaurants, kids sports teams, traveling, etc. And our normal routines have been drastically disrupted: It still takes hours to go grocery shopping, wearing masks and gloves, long lines to enter the store (it’s exhausting, though the lines have gotten shorter as of late); husband D works from home exclusively now, moving from bedroom to back patio to kitchen table (wherever there’s the least amount of noise from the family); we slogged our way through online school for the kiddos. It’s been an exercise in resilience, ingenuity, deep breathing, and looking forward to when “normal” resumes (and trying to not have panic attacks thinking about how long that will take.)
Although much of the US is opening back up at this point, the Bay Area still has quite a few restrictions about wearing masks and the allowable size and place for gatherings (which admittedly some folks follow and some don’t). Many types of businesses are still closed (we’re looking forward to when hair salons are open!) And of course there’s the social distancing - keeping a minimum of 6 feet between you and others not of your household.
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| Sent to me by my sister AG in Glasgow. Love the visual! |
We spend our days pretty much as we have been the past few months: Going for walks/scooter/bike rides in the neighborhood, going on hikes (many of the local state parks were closed, now open again), enjoying the sunshine and mild weather, taking a slow-food approach to our daily meals. We’ve planted herbs, baked lots of sourdough, cooked with dry beans, and picked berries to make homemade jam. We’ve deep cleaned our home. We’ve played lots of games and snuggled. We’ve prayed and cried. Our kids have learned how to cook more in the kitchen, how to take on more jobs around the home. We’re doing our best to stay connected to the people we love. We have not been personally affected by the virus, other than our lives being disrupted, feeling isolated, and the anxiety that comes from uncertainty. Our hearts ache for those who have been physically, economically, or otherwise affected.
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| Image Source |
Throughout all of this, I’ve often thought about George and Kate Findlay and other dear ones who hung on during previously grim times in our world’s history, such as during World War II. Now, I recognize that “sheltering in place” (especially in 70-degree weather in California) is very different from sheltering in a bunker when the air raid sirens go off. But I’ve had so many questions I wish I could ask them: How did they maintain hope? How did they “keep calm and carry on”? How did they look after each other? Was there a feeling of unity in their community? What did they cook? What was school and learning like? What were the little things that brought them joy? What advice would they have for future generations?
Anyone have any insights to share?
Read more about George and Kate and their family during WWII in Aberdeen here: http://greatflyingscots.blogspot.com/2019/05/more-memories-of-aberdeen-during-wwii.html
