It’s a gorgeous Spring day outside.  The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, birds are singing, and every slot in the parking lot is full, engines cold. People are walking, but they’re not going anywhere.  Fifteen miles away, the heart of Seattle’s downtown is nearly deserted.  Everywhere, most retail stores are closed, lines forming outside supermarkets and take-out joints.

My part-time job – the one I joke-not-a-joke keeps me from being an entirely introverted hermit – went to WfH on Friday.  I’m alone (okay, with two cats, and neighbors all around) in my apartment, trying to focus on work, using Zoom and Webex and Google Hangout to stay in touch with friends across the country, around the world, and across town.

Probably, you’re doing much the same.

It’s scary, yeah.  Anyone who says it’s not hasn’t quite caught up with what’s happening in the world.  And this isn’t going to be over any time soon – even once the medical community gets ahead of the pandemic rather than trying to chase it, we’re going to have a lot of rebuilding to do, financially, socially, and yes, politically.  Because – here in America particularly – this has proven that a safety net isn’t just a good thing, it’s an essential thing.  And we cannot afford to keep a government that not only seeks to cut that net, but will lie about it for their own gain (and fears).

But that’s work for days and weeks and months to come.  For now, we’re all stuck here, waiting.  In isolation, but not alone.

We’ve got this.  Together.

And if you’re working at a supermarket or a restaurant right now?  Email me a photo of you at work, and I’ll send the first twenty-five to respond an ebook of either I HAVE STRONG OPINIONS or WEST WINDS’ FOOL (your choice), as a thank-you for doing a hard job at an impossible time.

Meanwhile, I’m writing, and working on getting some stories recorded and out there, although my home tech is…not so great.  Hopefully, Auntie Meerkat’s Storytime will amuse and entertain.  And going forward, we’re going to be lowering prices on a bunch of books – follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook for those announcements.

Stay well, stay safe, and stay home!