Shelter in Place Just Strange times…
It has been three weeks that San Francisco went into Shelter in Place, officially because the world has been hit by Covid-19. Before that, rules for group sizes and events and essential shopping was in place and things were just basically smaller.
Yesterday, I flipped the page on the calendar to April. My feelings on this were mixed. April 7th had a ? on it that I had crossed out. There was also a ? on the 19th and it too was crossed out. There was nothing else. There will be nothing else.
These are some really crazy times in so many ways for all of us. There are mental ups and downs. Emotional ups and downs. Physical ups and maybe many, many pounds up and who isn’t pushing cocktail hour up till noon on occasion?
No doubt, I of course am going through this as well. I prepared at the end of February because my mayor, London Breed, called a state of emergency and the news had been putting the writing on the wall for months. I read a lot and watch a variety of news sources regularly.
“It” was coming. “It” is here and in full force. At this point, we all must have at least one person we know who is or was infected by Covid 19. We likely even know someone who is in the medical field and making sacrifices us laymen cannot understand.
My tush is staying home.
I venture out for food and living in San Francisco, I do not have to go far. At times, I venture out to help a home-bound woman with her shopping as well. That is basically it. Ohh to pet the adorable dog I see on a walk in the park by me, but I do not. I just go home. I do have my cats which makes this so much better as I’m sure we can all attest who have pets at home.
My business as a photographer has been in place officially for 20 years. Like me, my business is not going anywhere at least figuratively. I will be ready to go the moment we are given the official go ahead. I hope with everything in my soul that my industry, my community, my city, my state, my country can come back from this moment in time sooner than later.
Shelter in Place is working.
Events are being rescheduled and people are still booking their weddings and I’m so happy for that. It gives me this tangible moment of “I am in business”. There is a lot of uncertainty and I’m doing my best to make it through. I have checked in on some friends to say simply, are you OK and friends have checked in on me from around the world including friends, family and clients.
Knowing they are thinking of me is everything. Beyond them just checking in on my health but showing me that past clients keep me in mind even years after I have photographed them.
This is why Images by Misti Layne will be ready to go. I’m in my office and making appointments and plans. I hope to see you on the “other side” of this and I look forward to planet that has taken deep breaths and how I too find the new me in this process.
Peace and health to you and yours.
This is Charlie at Happy Hour doing Shelter in Place. See, life isn’t bad when I have this mug to look at day in and day out.
I posted this March 16th, the night of our official SIP. I saw these words and they really resonated. I’m going to check in again at the end of this but may you too find some peace from them:
“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.”
Kitty O’Meara
