I’m stuck in a surreal bending of time. My calendar is empty for the rest of my life, or at least until this situation sorts itself out, which I now realize could be many months. I shudder and focus on the things I can control, like setting the microwave for 90 seconds and refilling ice cube trays. My day is occupied by the excruciating mundane, washing my hands, washing my masks, washing dishes, feeding the dog, walking the dog. I never washed so many dishes because I never ate so many meals at home. I bought some new plastic containers to hold my leftovers in the fridge. Someday I hope to give them away as a sign that my life is back to normal and I don’t have to eat chili five meals in a row. But for now that’s just how it is, and I feel self-conscious for complaining because I’m fortunate enough to make too much chili and eat it for a week. Still, eating the same thing every day erases my memory of what day it is. Today could definitely be yesterday or tomorrow. How would I know?
My isolation is a weird mix of being disconnected from the things I enjoy and feeling deeply connected to the fierce humans who share my fate. A new world is being formed by the invisible hand of unity. If this calamity was an earthquake or a hurricane, it would be localized, we could picture the phenomenon and comprehend the destruction. We could calculate the total loss and plan the process of rebuilding. But so much of what is changing these days is metaphysical: our knowledge, our beliefs, our sense of self, our relationships, our habits, our commitments, our sense of place, our values, our priorities. Our routines have been disrupted by uncertainty and our confidence in the system is shaken. Seven billion of us are re-ordering our lives based on new information, moving like a school of anchovies in synchronous fear to evade the shark. Seven billion moments in time become one shared reality. One history. One humanity. One future.
I watch the digital clock on the microwave, and it seems to be moving slower than it did a month ago. Minutes have more space between them. I suspect a surreal bending of time like when your car fishtails on a slick road and you feel your guts swishing from side to side between your ribs, and you know you’re out of control, and your whole life passes before you because you’re pretty sure you’re going to wake up dead, and then your front fender hits a guard rail and your tires grip the land and the fishtail stops, but the adrenaline keeps rushing and you have visions of end times so profound that you’ll never be the same again, and you promise yourself you’ll be kind to every person you meet for the rest of your life.
I imagine humanity mid fishtail, in a blur of the mundane and the profound, a surreal bending of time punctured by the ding of my microwave. Lunch is ready. I listen to a podcast. I eat. I brush my teeth. The math of toilet paper shortages commingles with the math of illness and death, and I promise myself, if I live through this, I’ll be kind to every person I meet for the rest of my life, and next time, I won’t make so much chili.
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Scott Gottlieb on how life and the economy recovers from the crisis
Billie–
Received your book from amazon on the 14th, 10 days earlier than they first projected. Finished it this morning. Absolutely , motherfuckingly brilliant.
Holy shit,
Mark
So glad you got my book. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it. I know you’re a ruthless critic. So words of praise from you mean a lot to me.
Agree… my biggest fear: after losing my sister in February and being with her to her last breath, I’m actually frightened that my parents will get sick and I won’t be there with, and for them. It’s unimaginable to think of the so many families who have lost their loved ones…family…friends…all of whom have passed away alone. Young and old…so very alone.
We love you, Ms. Best. r & K
P.s. thank you for your wonderful book. It was like having a best friend tell me a story every night.
Thanks, Robby, for all your help with my book. I know what you mean about fear of having a loved one die alone. One of my greatest comforts was knowing that Chet died beautifully, full of love, as we held his hands.
Love the Geisha make-up.
Your book is really something. Half way thru. It exhausts me, much as your life must have exhausted – and exhilarated – you. It’s a fast read. I love hearing your speaking voice in my head. I notice all my false recollections. Also some of the left out, the shop lifting episodes in particular. Rosemary is almost a book unto herself. Straight out of Tennessee Williams. And Chet is so funny, especially when he’s pissed off. And I remember how high your voice would rise when you were angry. I hear that a lot as well. You have certainly won the changeling award. Seems like every decade there’s a new Bil. Hi5’s to that. Big time. Love you, babe. Keep the faith, Burlierre
Love you, too, Rick. Thanks for your words of praise. Chet is still funny, in my dreams.