May 4, 2020

Dear Diary,

As someone who is easily moved to tears during the best of circumstances, I am finding myself even more emotionally charged during this pandemic. I feel a lump in my throat when I see signs posted in windows thanking essential workers, I get choked up when I hear people clapping for frontline workers at night; I was practically gutted by that letter from a retired farmer in Kansas enclosing a N-95 mask to Governor Cuomo the other day. I tear up so often, I have taken to continuously chopping onions so as to not alarm the children. 

What tends to get me most, however, are the stories of neighbors who are forging new connections as a result of sheltering in place. A happy hour shared across balconies, a violinist performing from the inner courtyard of her apartment complex, a personal trainer leading a workout from his roof - even the new trend of neighbors displaying stuffed animals in their windows for local children to find on their “scavenger hunt walks” is the stuff which moves me and gives me hope.

In our own neighborhood, one of my neighbors, Jenny S, had the brilliant idea to create a What’s App Group, and it’s thrilling to see everyone coming together as a community. Whether it be one neighbor rushing over a ripe avocado to save another’s dinner, to an industrious crafter who leaves out homemade masks for others to take on their afternoon walks, to the thoughtfulness of Cara D, who offers to pick up anything for anyone whenever she is at the store, I have never felt so connected to my neighbors in the decade we’ve lived in the hood. 

I recently read a tweet in which the author joked, “[s]o we don't go to restaurants, kids aren't signed up for anything, and we are just staying home during spring break? Sounds like my childhood.” I started to chuckle but the more I thought about the tweet, the more it resonated with me. 

I know I speak from a place of privilege to even express this, but sheltering in place does feel an awful lot like how things used to be when I was a kid. Perhaps a simpler life and a greater connection to one’s neighbors could be the silver linings to what is otherwise a calamitous time.

Sincerely,
Maya