COVID, week 28 + the sequelae just got real real
Last week feels like it was at least a year ago at this point.
It has been a sobering year-of-a-week since I wrote last, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death at 87 on Friday (and the resulting circus of the GOP, led by Mitch McConnell, trying to move fast to nominate her replacement, despite everything that he said in 2016 when he stole Merrick Garland’s seat).
That tragedy isn’t enough, so let’s also remember that yesterday, the US surpassed 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, all the while DT claiming that the virus “affects virtually nobody” (while at a rally in Ohio, no less).
Oh, and just this afternoon, the city of Louisville failed to charge the cops who shot and killed Breonna Taylor, who was asleep, in her bed, in her home, with murder.
If we thought that the final 5 weeks leading into this year’s presidential election were going to be tumultuous, no doubt the events of the past week (and their sequelae) promise that the next month-and-a-half will be nothing short of catastrophic.
And remember: our children are watching our every move. The next generation is looking to us right now, and depending on their age, they may remember how we reacted in response to the never-ending turbulence of 2020 when they re-learn history as young adults. Complacency is the easy, lazy way out, of course, but growth comes from the work, however untidy and uncomfortable it may be, and it all starts at home.
To say that the pressure is on is to make what feels like the biggest understatement of the year.
I sincerely hope that everyone in this country has some type of (healthy) coping mechanism because damn, this year is hard and is just getting harder.
Terrible and sobering events aside from the past seven days, hope is slowly showing up in these parts. Our air quality improved significantly in the past few days, and this morning, I ran under lovely blue skies, with AQ-in-the-20s this morning, and it seemed like just overnight, the morning air transitioned into the “California crisp” mode that comes with the onset of autumn. All of it was delicious.
This week also kicked-off the Womxn Run the Vote online relay event. When I first heard about it, I registered right away and encouraged a handful of friends to do the same, and now our team of 10 is among a sea of 10,000 runners from all over the world who are virtually making our way from Atlanta to Washington, DC. Along the way, as we post our “mileage,” my teammates and I get to learn about historic Civil Rights sites and people.
The WRTV online relay is a meaningful fundraiser for Black Voters Matter, an organization that exists to increase power in traditionally marginalized, predominantly Black communities. Their rationale is that “effective voting allows a community to determine its own destiny,” and their mission agrees with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sentiment that “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” So far, the event has raised over $260,000 for BVM.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Team ResistNPersist is over 130 miles in (as we log everything from our runs and rides to our swims, weightlifting, barre ballet, yoga, and everything else that the algorithm can convert to “mileage.” Cool, right? I’m all for the accessibility and encouraging all types of physical activity). I’ve enjoyed learning about all the historical sites and people we’ve encountered on our journey so far. Last night, A and I spent some time reading the map and postcards online — each significant historical post looks like a red pushpin that yields a postcard of chock full of information — and everything about this is really well-done.
For as absolutely terrible as COVID has been, one silver lining has been seeing how races and race organizations have pivoted (in the absence of holding in-person races) and are still engaging their runner audiences. Part of this is necessity, of course — because in the absence of real-life racing, how are these small businesses going to make money and pay their bills? — but like anything else, a lot of it boils down to choice. Evolve or die, right?
Like many other runners, I miss racing and competing, and like many other runners, pre-COVID, I always turned up my nose at virtual races because… why. At this point, 28 weeks into this weirdass time, I can say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how so many races have made the best of a shitty situation and have continually and meaningfully engaged their running community. Whether it was runlocal’s California 500 Run the 1 event in the summer, or this Womxn Run the Vote relay, or any of the other online events my kids and/or I have participated in, we’ve all had great experiences and would likely do them again, if for no other reason than to continue to show my support for the people and orgs who are making all of it happen.
I don’t know when I’ll stop prefixing all my weekly entries with COVID and the week number that we’re in, but part of me thinks that I should keep doing it for as long as it takes. To that end, the NYT recently began a series where readers can submit their birds’-eye reflections on life during the pandemic, from the profound to the silly. They call it six-word memoirs, and I encourage you to write some. Maybe I’ll begin incorporating them into these weird weekly summaries of how bizarre life is right now.
DL kindergarten works. Still ate glue.
Zoomed out. Went outside. All better.
I never missed people so much.
Ineptitude kills. Believe science. Act. Vote.
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On occupying time and settling mental unrest
Reading. I looked forward to finishing Eloquent Rage last week and then had to return it before I finished. Fortunately, I just got it back and should be finishing it soon, in the next couple days. Also queued up is How to be an Antiracist. Reading PS Be Eleven with the girls each night remains one of my favorite parts of the day.
Listening. Got in just a couple in the past few days, one of the newer SWAP episodes from the Roches and the newest Work Play Love. That was it though. Unless I’m running with Janet or with my kids, the best sound I can hear on the run is silence.
Running. Having blue, healthy skies for most of last week meant some good running (finally) and getting in the pool three times with the girls both last week and this week. The relay event has been a real highlight to my running in the past few days, too. In real-life racing news, CIM was supposed to make their announcement regarding the 2020 iteration last week Friday (the 18th) but apparently had to postpone their announcement due to a delayed meeting with the state officials (who couldn’t meet earlier because of the fires)… or something. I guess we’ll hear the announcement this week Friday (the 25th). Honestly, it all seems so irresponsible to even be thinking about having a large-scale event in a couple months’ time, so I’m really perplexed why they hadn’t made the call to cancel (or go virtual) months ago. I don’t know a single person who has signed up for CIM this year who realistically plans to run it. I mean, c’mon.
Watching. We are making our way through musicals (I LOVE this), and last weekend we watched Brigadoon. If you haven’t seen it, oh man. It’s memorable.
40 days until Election Day (5 weeks, 6 days).
Stay healthy and safe, take care of yourself and others if you can, and keep reading and listening. We must and can do better. xo