Day 43 - SkyLines from the French Lock-down: Dispatches #4 - Citizenship and Discipline

As we look two weeks into the future, we are hopeful. There are some good things to meditate on. Soon, we will be free to leave the house. There are restrictions that will seem hard. But there is hope. And that is more important than anything else. Well, except maybe being disciplined. It seems that this and good citizenship may be the most important things of all!

In the hills, the villages are more isolated.
Perhaps they will have more freedom than the cities.

Day 43 - We got up earlier! Yes, at last. It may only have been forty minutes, but it feels like a victory. I set the alarm a little earlier than yesterday. I told my French partner, Y, that if he

the 11th of May. We must be ready
reads the headline.

wanted to sleep in the next morning it was fine. But I needed to call the bank and I hoped that if I was early, I might get through. Happily, I slept straight through the night as if the stress of this difficult time was nothing. I would like to think that it's the effect of embracing hope instead of fear. I honestly don't know.  Which sounds like the label we should stick on this whole pandemic affair, "They honestly didn't know."

I don't remember turning over in the night. There just came a moment when I was aware of the daylight from the skylight in the hall. I drifted toward consciousness and told myself that I would just take a peek at the alarm to see the time. I worked to open my eyes

Pinion trees that lead to the beaches

and moved just a little bit. Then I heard Y say, "Il et dix minutes après neuf... environs" (It's around ten minutes after nine.) So, instead of the alarm waking us, we were awake half an hour before it

 was set to ring. That was nice! And as we rose, we both talked about the awaited the televised announcement that would happen late in the afternoon as regarded the end of quarantine. Y said, "They won't keep the beaches closed, do you think?" I said exactly what I thought, "I honestly don't know."  We went downstairs. The cat was glad to see us.


I tried calling the bank and got the recorded message, "There is no one to take your call." Normal. It has been that way for a month now. So, we read the news, ate breakfast, then skipped exercise... bet you weren't expecting that! Every now and then I take a vacation from work outs. Today was that day. 

Then I called the bank again. This time, the front desk answered and said my counselor would call me back. I decided to work on a new set of songs on my guitar and then the piano. I played for another hour and no, the bank had not called. Normal.

We had lunch and then came the thing we both had put off for a bit. Filing taxes. Yep. French income tax. It's fairly easy for me to do mine because I make no money here and I already filed my American taxes. All I had to do was report the same numbers to the French government. (Turned into Euros, of course.) I still hate doing it. Y has a better reason for using les "mots bleu" (blue words - in other words, swearing!)  He has to learn the new online system and that's never fun. In fact, I'm pretty sure that a show of hands would find we all agree that doing taxes is never fun. 

Fortunately, we got to take a break when the Prime Minister's speech began in the late afternoon. It was he who told us all about the de-confinement to come. He reminded us that as we open up life again, we must continue to stay a meter from other

Perhaps we can picnic on the hills

people in public. In situations where that was impossible, we must wear a mask. Also, we must wear masks when we take public transport. But - the masks are not going to be obligatory at all times at least not yet. Small children in school won't wear one but older kids will. The plan says that on the 11th of May, the stores will be open. School will resume but with only 15 in a room for the primary grades. No gatherings of people in huge numbers. Large malls may have to remain closed. The big museums, the cinemas, and theaters are going to have to wait as well. They will decide as we go along based on what happens. They are hoping to relaunch the economy without relaunching the epidemic. Open air markets and small museums may open again but we are to be careful about getting to close to one another. It's going to be very tricky.

There will be cries of disappointment as team sports are still forbidden - and that includes "le football' (soccer). The professional sports season is cancelled until at least 2021. We may practice solitary sports and are allowed to go father than the kilometer from home. The catch is we are confined to our department for now unless it is to go to work. But still that is a whole lot of wonderful space!  Then he warned us - there will be color-coding of areas based on how dense the infection is. Some communities may open sooner or stay quarantined for longer than others. Restaurants, bars, and cafes are going to have to wait at least another month. If the second wave hits hard, we may return to confinement. It will be up to the people to work hard to avoid the spread of the virus. No going back to "Life as Before."

Near the end of the declaration, he said the words, we both dreaded but expected, "The beaches will remain closed. The vacations will have to wait." I could  see the pain in my partner's eyes. "We can still go hiking,"

A treatment that might work

I told him and outlined a plan to take a picnic up into the foothills. Those who know me, know, this is not my thing at all. But it will be better to get out and get some sunshine.  And I know he loves it. And - I love him. I'm already looking at some recipes for a pot pie. 

The Prime Minister told us they are not trying to make a list of rules and clamp the population into a prescribed plan. He said that the only way we can get through this relaunch to start life again is for people to show good Citizenship and Discipline. Wow. I mean that just makes so much sense. And I hope that the French people can do it. I would be less hopeful if I were in some other places where people are not willing to sacrifice some of their freedoms in order to save the lives of others or even just work together for their own safety. 

And the French? Can they do it? Will they live up to their idea of "Fraternité?" (Brotherhood?)  To quote myself, "I honestly don't know." Will it work? We will see. It's time now to turn off the news, have a cup of tea, and write to you.  The day has been a mix of sunshine and showers. It seems that so is the plan that is being unveiled.

To end with some good news - since the start of this month, there has been an anti-inflammatory drug - tocilzumab - has being tested on 49 patients who were ill with the virus. And it appears to be working! Other studies are concluding the same thing. It calms the cytokine storm that causes a person's immune system to attack the organs instead of the virus. The patients were able to breath again without a ventilator and go home after 14 days. It's a start! And it is looking hopeful. And hope is powerful medicine all on its on. 

And so, dear friends, there is the possibility that the wave of illness that has swept our planet is

The beaches will remain empty for the time being.

calming. We aren't there yet, but we are beginning to see the possibility of beating it. It's still flooding the world, but we have built some barriers against the tide with our social distancing and discipline.  We have built arks in the form of communities working together. That's the citizenship. And most of all -  we have lifelines to cling onto - and they are made of hope.

A demain, les amis! (Until tomorrow, friends!)
Link to Day 44