Comments

1

"How lonely sits the city that was full of people",
"all her people groan, as they search for bread,"
"for these things I weep, my eyes flow with tears."
From Lamentations of Jeremiah, Chapter 1
Right now I can't think of a better description.

2

When my father was in his last days of cancer, I spent every day by his side for weeks in the hospital, only taking breaks to shower and pass out in exhausted dreamless sleep when my sister arrived. On the day we wheeled him home to his final destination, one of the older nurses who had been there all throughout said solemnly, "It's gonna hit them hard. Especially that one." She gestured at me and our eyes met, and I felt a feeling I can't describe. The next year, I was homeless.

I heard her voice in my mind when I read about your brother.

3

Yes, there are fewer planes above Beacon Hill nowadays.
Charles, I wish time could heal the wounds. Time makes them distant, but the wounds are always there.

4

Thank you for writing this. It was very comforting to read.

5

"According to Hollywood, if a white person is in a crisis or a slump, it's the job of the wise Negro to lead them out of the nebulous night back into the clear light of day. The structure of the narrative invariably works like this: The white man loses his job or gift or important position, goes into a deep depression, and while at the bottom of the world meets a black man who just happens to know a thing or two about life. At first the white man ignores the black man, telling him to get lost, to leave him alone, to shut up. But somewhere in the final chapter of the film, the white man realizes that the black man is in fact saying something important! He then opens his ears, listens closely, and learns. By the film's end, the white man makes use of, and benefits from, the Negro's wisdom."

6

That was a good read, CM.

7

Great piece. Thanks for writing it.

8

I am so sorry that your brother died. Are grief and depression the same thing? This reads as grief to me. When someone we love dies, the world continuing as it always has is one of the largest affronts. What is happening now is that the world has stopped business as usual and that may be allowing you to experience your grief differently. Grieving and depression are similar, but not the same. Whichever you are experiencing (or if you are experiencing both), may you find peace and help if you need it.

9

So strange I have found myself in a similar position but from a completely place. Baseline depression from childhood trauma combined now with elderly parents and their social and health problems, dating in middle age while good looks fade and money woes.

All of a sudden, none of my problems matter anymore. I'm free. Dating? FOMO? Who cares? In the present I have two purposes, work my ass off with a team helping save lives, and trying to avoid getting sick.

DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE, STAY AWAY FROM OLD PEOPLE, PLEASE!

10

Thank all of you for your stories. May we all heal and thrive in these troubled times

11

@5
https://youtu.be/jInlO6-JTww

12

I'm so sorry for your loss, Charles.
We have to remember that we may be separated, but we're not alone.
There are so many good, kind, decent people out there, and we'll get through this.

13

I have a chronic illness that has had me working from home for a couple of years. It was a huge adjustment for me, only going into the office occasionally and having a much more limited social life. This crisis has kind of made me feel like everybody is on equal footing as me now. I feel that my social life and feeling of belonging has actually improved some because now being at home is the norm and all of my activities are moving online. All these people complaining about having cabin fever amuse me to no end. This is normal for me. I do wish people would take it more seriously though. Staying home and sitting on the couch is not that hard.


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