Wondering

Summer and the Lughnasa Moon

Saturday gratefuls: Brooks Tavern’s chicken fried steak. The organized state of the loft. Putting the new laundry hamper together with Kate. This Covid life. The abundant rain yesterday afternoon and last night. Woollies, old and new. The long reach of Jewish history. Celtic myth. Nordic myth. Greek myth. Christian myth. Fairy tales.

Difficult, isn’t it, to avoid Covid? Yes, sure, in public. Where, I hope, you and yours have a mask at least. Perhaps even at home where our continuing presence makes us aware of what we’re not able to do. And, I read, that home is still the most likely place for you to get infected. Like all those auto accidents that happen close to home, I guess.

However what I’m focused on here is your mind. It’s difficult to avoid Covid there, too. Normal aches and pains of aging. Oh, wait? Is that? No, it can’t be. Can it? Got there yesterday afternoon. Nose a bit stuffy then sneezing. Aches. Was that fever? Or, a hot flash? What am I dealing with? Covid or Lupron or being 73? Wait and see. As Seoah often said. Wait and see.

This morning. Aches still there, but sneezing, stuffiness gone. Fever turned out to be a lingering hot flash. When will they ever end? As many menopausal women have wondered. Doesn’t feel like I got it this time.

Even the thought of Covid, without the virus itself, can make us sick. Doubtful. Wary. Denialistic. Has to be happening a lot these days.

Anxiety. Depression. Enhanced fear of the other, of an invisible foe. I wonder how much under the surface mental illness has become apparent? How much existing mental illness has gotten worse? We’re still not too good about admitting to our own psychic troubles or at recognizing them in others.

The longer this goes on, and the numbers of our runaway pandemic suggest it will be quite a while, even with a vaccine, the more mental illness will become problematic, not only for thousands, but for millions. What will they do?

Is anybody working on this? Is it on anybody’s radar? Wondering.