I was still on the fence yesterday afternoon about whether to cancel my weekly Happy Hour Comedy Showcase and whether or not to keep that Olive Garden date I had on the books for Thursday, when my journalist and fellow public transportation enthusiast friend Kate, shared this article with me- showing the benefits of extensive social distancing in terms of reducing the overall number of people who get sick. It became a freshly flushed toilet bowl, crystal clear decision and that meant turning down a small but significant, and concurrently my last, source of income.
The final and most difficult decision I was holding out on was the show I had on the books in Chico, CA this coming weekend. I haven’t seen the few extended family members I actually stay in touch with and who live there, in my college town, for nearly a year. Spring is also the best time in the Sacramento Valley; before it gets hot and dry, the dusty red canyons turn refreshingly green and a subtle smell of home for me. Even more difficult was that a Chico based comic, who I have never even met, had graciously set up a show for the Saturday I was scheduled to pass through. I was so grateful and really looking forward to performing for my family for the first time but my aunt, who is immunocompromised and also my place to stay, is still recovering from a normal ‘ol flu and already has pneumonia. No way in hell am I taking my disgusting comic mouth anywhere near her.
Income, gigs, Olive Garden, minor heart breaks and major inconveniences aside- Errrrrrr RECORD SCRATCH
I can only call the loss of income “inconvenient” because I have people in my life who I know can and will help me financially if and when I need it. That is not something I have always had or felt worthy enough to accept, and I know there are a lot of people in that boat right now. So if that is you, here is some breaking news that could offer a little hope that our government is considering the effects this could have on people who have lost all income. Albeit, trusting the federal government is something I think most would agree is difficult to do as their initial reaction was to bail out banks and large corporations, on trend for them. Not to mention their general inability and failures in the past to take care of people who need it.
I am, unfortunately, relentless optimistic, sometimes to a fault. But, on trend, I think pure ignorant optimism got me through some otherwise impossible times.
Yesterday Kate and I met in the park for a workout on the children’s playground. “I love a good sprinkle,” Kate said as we headed toward her house in the direction of a double rainbow which had formed against the backdrop of grey clouds and brownish foothills. We opted out of a post workout beer in the sun and instead ate our own dinners on my sunny apartment patio and talked like old ladies who have had the same conversations over and over, because… we can feel that coming too. Riding the last of our youthful arrogance, and my disposable income, we walked downtown to get a couple pints each of local ice cream… to go. On the way back we stopped on a quiet downtown street to read this quote I’d seen on Instagram:
“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listen 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…” - Kitty O’Meara. And they ate ice cream.
My friends and I have decided to do homemade pasta over FaceTime instead of Olive Garden. I am considering house comedy shows because my couch is a solid 8 feet long but I’m still not sure how selective we should all be about contact with others. Is it ok to have my friend Cayden over to watch Daria and eat tuna? How concerned should I be about the cats right now and is it time to start their own Instagram page?