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It started raining today.
I’ve been hoping for rain, for hours of solid downpour, for weeks. To break the monotony mostly. To prove that this day really is different from yesterday, from six weeks ago.
The rain has been heavy enough to irritate the birds and noisy enough to cover the fact that the city is so quiet.
Most importantly, the rain was an excuse to stay inside. I could avoid essential errands and essential exercise; I could avoid all the joggers and the runners and the idlers who don’t think that social distancing is important.
So, I stayed home. I had breakfast. I read the newspapers. I interacted with people on social media. I responded to some emails. I worked. I drank too much coffee. I checked social media again. I had lunch. I thought about looking at data visualisations of COVID-19 – red plumes on a map indicating concentrations of coronavirus nestled alongside a list estimating the number of deaths – and decided not to. I kept working. I drank more coffee. I looked at social media one more time.
I tried not to be jealous of all the people with cats. Small, furry alarm clocks insisting on being fed and petted and then fed again (because, well, that first feeding didn’t really count). A purring cat is the most delightful thing. Especially when the world is upside down.
I had dinner.
I sat and listened to the rain.
I’ve been hoping for rain, for hours of solid downpour, for weeks. To break the monotony mostly. To prove that this day really is different from yesterday, from six weeks ago.
The rain has been heavy enough to irritate the birds and noisy enough to cover the fact that the city is so quiet.
Most importantly, the rain was an excuse to stay inside. I could avoid essential errands and essential exercise; I could avoid all the joggers and the runners and the idlers who don’t think that social distancing is important.
So, I stayed home. I had breakfast. I read the newspapers. I interacted with people on social media. I responded to some emails. I worked. I drank too much coffee. I checked social media again. I had lunch. I thought about looking at data visualisations of COVID-19 – red plumes on a map indicating concentrations of coronavirus nestled alongside a list estimating the number of deaths – and decided not to. I kept working. I drank more coffee. I looked at social media one more time.
I tried not to be jealous of all the people with cats. Small, furry alarm clocks insisting on being fed and petted and then fed again (because, well, that first feeding didn’t really count). A purring cat is the most delightful thing. Especially when the world is upside down.
I had dinner.
I sat and listened to the rain.