Now

Great balls of flaming what the actual fuck.

I am in LAX on the way home from what is almost certainly my last overseas trip for quite a long time.  In the space of two weeks the world has gone from the cutting edge of clusterfuckedness to quite clearly and comfortably a full-fledged pandemonium that was, already infamously, touted as a “hoax” by one who shall remain un-named in this blog because seriously. Fuck that guy.  I can’t even.

It’s difficult not to acknowledge how lucky, blessed, and full of trials and adventures this life has panned out for me.  Today, as I sneak in under the wire, symptom free (knock on wood) and quietly confident the response by the WHO and our absolute GODDESS of a leader Jacinda Ardern will curb this pandemic enough to ensure a safe and robust course through this global crisis.  Of all the times I have scraped through situations and felt nearly ashamed of my blind luck in remaining unscathed, I have to say, being born Canadian and living as a Kiwi for most of my life is today, the absolute luckiest situation I can imagine as I set course back to New Zealand to self-quarantine for 14 days.

We had made the decision after watching Manhattan empty out to a near ghost town to quarantine ourselves for a minimum of ten days upon returning home, despite some friends and family stating we were “just over-reacting” and should “keep calm and carry on”

So, here’s the thing about that.  People DO need to be calm and they DO need to carry on and exercise the absolute utmost of caution and respect for those around them, and that means everyone has to take this seriously or the virus will spread too far and too fast for healthcare systems to manage.

Here’s my take on this situation.  This. Shit. Just. Got. Real.

But history and life and narrative of this planet and, oh, I dunno… like SCIENCE gave us plenty of signs that something massive like this was not only possible but quite seriously probable.  It’s happened, the survival rate is WAY better than something quite terrifying like ebola, and we can slow the spread by being extra cautious and there’s no need to bitch and moan about it.

I will be bypassing seeing my kids completely when I land home in the island paradise I feel deeply and importantly in LOVE with in 1992, and I will be hauling my lucky little ass to our treehouse in Matakana and locking the fucking door and not seeing anyone face to face for 14 days.  Doing so because I love my friends, family and nation and after seeing the absolute chaos here in the USA and feeling quite decidedly sick at the prospect of the millions of working poor who will be seriously brought to their knees because they are used to working two or three jobs just to cover the cost of living without any hope of a vacation like the one I am returning from I am so glad we have a leader who is protecting us and making bold and quick decisions on the front lines of a war against an opponent we cannot see.

This is the moment to put our best foot forward.  The weeks and months ahead will see so many of our family and friends in NZ and around the globe in vulnerable situations.  This is an opportunity for kindness, cleanliness, calm and hope to shine.  There are so many people who are actively putting themselves on the front line in this global emergency, we all need to take it seriously and do anything we can and more to take this threat seriously and business as usual simply is not an option while we work to stop the spread.

Okay, so.

I’ll be home and not seeing you soon New Zealand.

Take care of yourselves and stay home if you are vulnerable.  Your life and the lives of those around you are far more important than ANYTHING right now.

Things are going to change and we will have plenty of time to talk about the brave new  world that is upon us.  

Let Love and patience be your guide, and you are NOT alone if you are scared, and we WILL get to a better place together.

Thanks for reading.