Gratitude Monday: so much

Well, well, well. Gratitude Monday as we enter into the coronavirus state of national emergency. You know—the one necessitated by this clusterfuck administration’s SNAFU in responding to the global pandemic.

I’m grateful that my employer has responded decisively and humanely in ordering all employees but those whose functions dictate otherwise to work from home until further notice. And that they provide the corporate support for that.

I’m grateful that—while it’s a challenge to work on spreadsheets and presentation decks without my two external monitors—I have a comfortable environment at home. And if I have to, I can go into the office and bring one of the monitors home.

I’m grateful that I have the corporate VPN (needed to access any work files), and that it works. (My former employer allegedly had one, but it was a horror to set up on Comcast and a crapshoot thereafter.) We also have collaboration tools; Microsoft, but still. I can carry on my daily syncs with my colleague in Amsterdam, which not only keep our project humming, but they brighten my day.

I’m grateful that they’ve committed to revisiting the need for remote work every week, and they’ll update us. They’re good at that.

I’m grateful that I did not need to shop for toilet paper this weekend; I still have a bunch from my last Costco purchase more than a year ago.

I’m grateful that—between Whole Foods, Giant and Trader Joe’s—I was able to get vegetables, salad makings, soup, limes, milk and rolls. And that I already have plenty of chicken breasts, lamb chops and salmon filets, a 20-lb bag of basmati rice and molto pasta. (Let me also say—I have never seen supermarket conveyor belts as clean as this past weekend.)

I’m grateful for all the people whose work ensures that food and consumables are still making it to the stores, and for all the people stocking the shelves and staffing the checkouts. And wiping down those belts and counters.

I’m grateful that people are consciously practicing spatial distancing. As anxious as they may be, they’re not crowding the checkout lines like they typically do (as though by standing 14” away from me they’ll get to the till faster).

I’m grateful that I have plenty of birdseed for my feathered friends; they need the extra help for fledgling season. And that I also have a stock of maintenance meds for me.

I’m grateful, too, that my cough is slowly dissipating. Even though I’ve got muscle cramp under my right anterior ribs that somehow extends up under the scapula. Clearly I need to work on my core muscles. I’m grateful that now I have time to do that.

I’m grateful that I was cleared by Sonia from health and safety on Friday. I still don’t know who ratted me out, but the combination of my cough plus having attended RSAC was what put the bullseye on my back. (At least two attendees have been diagnosed with covid19.) Fair enough. I’m also grateful that the incubation period for the virus post-RSAC expired on Friday, so I should be okay. Assuming I’ve not been close to someone since who was carrying.

I’m grateful that I’m getting the first of three injections for my knees today. Hoping that parking at the hospital will not be too problematic. (But, seriously, if that’s the worst of my problems at a hospital, it’s small beer.)

Dang—there’s a lot of gratitude here for being essentially a time of plague. What are you grateful for?