Phase II: During the virus

Slow down, you move too fast — Paul Simon

If Part I was before the virus, we are now in the second phase, living and hunkering down with it. None of us wanted a role in this play but now we are all on stage with it, with La Conner restaurants and tourist-focused retail some of the main players. This is a tragedy in the making.

The Washington state response continues to reach further into our communities, with Gov. Inslee announcing Sunday that all restaurants and bars are closed for the rest of March. The state has been at ground zero since the one person diagnosed in Everett was quarantined way back in February. The virus was seemingly contained and everyone could go on their merry way, life as normal, whistling while we work.

Alas, that one case was the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Who thought America the invincible, the Titanic of our time, would declare a natural emergency, all hands on deck, schools closed, sports shut down, theatres and festivals cancelled?

Our whole country will be shut down. Our state is leading the way.

Public health officials are now speaking in terms of months before things get back to normal.

This is where we flex, exercise and strengthen our citizenship muscles and act responsibly for the good of the community. La Conner Soroptimists are leading by example. They discussed and voted over email to close their Vintage Store, out of concern for themselves as much as their customers. The median age in La Conner is 54. That means half our population is over 54 years old. Gray and white-haired heads predominate in the group’s membership.

The woe is real for the businesses and nonprofits – and all of us – in town. Income, revenue, wages and work are all critical. Hard times are definitely ahead: businesses will fail; jobs will be lost. None of this has to be fatal, however.

All of us have to breathe. Taking slow, deep breaths is a small step of self-control. Deep breaths and finding perspective is most needed by those facing job lost and business closings.

The world has been given bushels and truckloads of lemons. There is lots of lemonade, lemon custard, lemon peel, lemon pie and much more to be made from this bounty of woe.

Citizenship skills grow from family connections. With schools closed for six weeks, opportunities for families to bond abound. This week’s community calendar suggests getting out to the shore, the woods or the mountains. As the weather warms, long bike rides will be a good thing. It is only weeks till April’s Tulip Festival starts. Maybe it won’t. Maybe there will be less car traffic and families on bikes will share the road with farm tractors.

We are citizens in a democratic community. Information and interaction are essential components. The Weekly News provides information. Its pages are open for you, community members to communicate with each other and to share your thoughts observations, concerns and hopes. A letter in the newspaper is a safe way to reach out to each other.

This forced period of slowness and isolation provides the time for reflection and critical assessment. It offers the chance to consider larger questions: do we need to do everything that we are doing? Do we have to work so long? Do we have to travel so much? What does slowing down mean in each of our lives?

Am we taking the best care of ourselves and loved ones? Can we live lighter on the Earth? Are we paying attention to and respecting natural processes?

For those stressed out and facing bleak economic prospects, these are not frivolous questions. They may be critical to sane living and individual sanity. – ken stern