The World’s Problems Don’t Stop Because of a Pandemic
A dispatch from Italy, and a lesson in looking out for each other
I put on jeans today.
On Friday, when I was still in pajamas by 3 p.m., I spoke to a friend outside of Italy. She told me about her day: going to work, picking up her daughter from school. I started laughing. Intrigued, she asked why.
“We’re living on different planets right now,” I replied. “Going out and about, taking the kids to school and picking them up — it just feels like a different reality.”
A few days ago, it was a cold, rainy day in Florence. The atmosphere was gloomy. While cooking dinner, my husband joked that our lives seem to revolve around eating and sleeping. I nodded. I’d spent most of my day in bed with a runny nose and a headache.
“Great time to catch a cold,” I laughed while sipping a hot, lemony drink for the 10th time that day.
When I checked in with friends and family, I learned that most of them are about to lose everything they’ve worked for in the past year. Some of them, us included, woke up in debt.
Today marks eight whole days of lockdown for us. And, today, I put on jeans. I woke up energized, probably from the liters of hot water with lemon and honey I’ve been…
