By the time this issue of The Local Voice hits the streets, no one may have a view from The Balcony. I’ve never seen a time in which such a significant part of the USA was on shutdown. Covid-19 (the Coronavirus) is likely the biggest health threat to humanity in my lifetime. While the Coronavirus is no laughing matter, I’ve been told by several people that we could use a bit of levity and humor right now. In that spirit I continue, albeit briefly…
I went to Walmart over the weekend. The only bottled water left was the high quality, more expensive kind. I’ve been meaning to start drinking alkaline and electrolyte infused water anyway. All preventive vitamins/supplements were gone. I used my last vitamin C pill Sunday. Thankfully I found some with zinc at Walgreen’s. There was no toilet tissue―not one single roll―and the shelves of baby wipes were nearly empty. I lucked out and found toilet tissue at Oxford Chevron West on Highway 6. It was hard as hell to get it off the wall dispenser in the men’s room and I was nearly arrested when I sneaked out of the women’s restroom, roll in hand! (It’s ironic to me that we’re having a run on toilet tissue.)
It has been reported, even by CNN, that the sales of Corona beer are down significantly due to the Coronavirus. According to Snopes, that’s fake news. There is no known connection between the virus and the beer. Corona beer, known by some as the swill of Mexico, is actually from Mexico, not China. For what it’s worth, when I drink beer, Corona Light is my first choice. In fact, the only piece of visual art I’ve created as an adult is based on Corona Light.
Consider this: vaccines infect us with a small amount of a disease so we can build an immunity to it. If Corona beer had anything to do with the Coronavirus, doesn’t standard logic say that we should be drinking more of it so we can build a greater immunity? Just to be on the safe side, I picked up a six pack today and am practicing preventive care right now. An ounce of prevention and all that…
We’re being told not to gather in groups of ten or more, not to travel unless we have to, and not to go to bars or restaurants. While we’re all feeling the impact of the Coronavirus, those in the hospitality and travel industries have been especially hard hit from the get-go. I can hear the sound of restaurant and bar doors being locked and sense the emptiness in the pockets of those who live from shift to shift. Those of us in the counseling profession are now required to conduct sessions online or by telephone.
All that being said, let’s look on the bright side of life. My friend and Hollywood filmmaker, Mark David (Mark directed Texas Heart, a movie made in Oxford and Charleston that utilized many locals on- and off-screen, including moi), said it eloquently in a Facebook post:
“The corona virus has forced to me to spend the past few days hanging out with my wife, lighting candles, playing the acoustic guitar in the corner I haven’t picked up in a year, talking to my aging mother several times a day, spending an hour a day on the phone with my sister who is across the United States, cooking at home, washing my dogs twice this week and having multiple conversations with strangers at the grocery store that I normally wouldn’t talk with. As much as I hate this pandemic and its effects on our health, economy and particularly the film business, I can’t help but notice the irony in that I’m acting like a human again.”
Mark, you’re not acting. You’re being.
Anybody wanna bet against me that the birth rate will spike nine months from now? And can you conceive of some doofus naming their new baby “Corona”? It’s gonna happen. Mark my words.
In closing, I raise a Corona Light in a toast to all: “Let’s support each other, let’s not panic, let’s find humor where we can, let’s harvest the good from the bad, and let’s all be careful out there.”
…and that’s the remote view from The Balcony.
