I’m uncertain about these uncertain times

We have contactless pizza delivery, toilet paper rolls being offered with your food and even Subway is trying a concept in some areas where people can buy the sandwich material to make subs at home. Isn’t the point of Subway for when you just can’t get it together enough to make your own sandwich?

I don’t blame Subway, or the soap purveyors, or the Cadillac dealers. They have stuff to sell, and companies hit hard by uncertainty are pivoting to new ways to make us feel like we are all in this together, which we are, and that we should remember their sober and emotionally correct ways of expressing the value of their company, now more than ever.

Many of us are conflicted. We don’t know how we should feel. Some of us still working are exhausted, but guilty that we feel bad about it since we still have jobs. We feel ... uncertain. We also have conflicting feelings. We believe in science and want to heed advice of medical officials. Yet a certain part of us feels this is all overkill. We are taking coronavirus seriously and wear masks and stay 6 feet away from people and yet we also have concerns about overreaching authoritarianism (sorry if that’s redundant). We worry about keeping others safe but have concerns about our ability to balance everything like teaching our kids at home while working and worrying about going to the grocery store. We worry about the severe economic impact to so many the longer this thing goes on. We read reports about the coming surge and do our part to make sure the hospitals aren’t overwhelmed. When the surge doesn’t come, we are told it will later and we have to keep inside with our economy at a complete standstill. We worry about the long-term economic effects, the impact on the federal deficit, if this is the new normal and who or what to listen to. We worry about privacy.

It’s a lot to unpack. Do we bake bread? Plant a garden? Sing on our porch? Sew masks? Make signs of support for others on the frontline?

For many, snitching becomes therapy. We have had countless calls and emails from people wanting us to do stories on this or that. “My neighbor is doing construction. I saw a gardening truck. This store doesn’t have enough masks for its workers. There are mountain bikers at Water Dog Lake. I saw people gathering!” Some are more egregious than others, but we are pretty busy with other things right now.

For me, I’ve been trying to keep calm and carry on. I think our county’s health officer knows way more than me about infectious diseases and it’s his job to be cautious. He’s doing his job. I don’t know if he’s going too far with his orders but we will see. I like that more data is being released, and would appreciate some more context, though understand it’s difficult when it’s always moving. I’m glad San Mateo County has relatively low case rates and deaths from coronavirus. I’m grateful there is still room in our hospitals. I hate wearing a mask at the grocery store but will, well, because it’s now the law, but also because it might make someone else feel safer and allow them to get what they need to live. I worry about our small businesses and the workers now at home instead of earning a paycheck. I worry about the vulnerable, the lonely and the afraid. I am deeply concerned about the impact of this virus and this shutdown on our society overall. I worry about the students being left behind despite the hard work of educators. I appreciate that many out there are doing their very best in an extremely difficult situation. I know some opportunists are taking advantage of this crisis for a variety of purposes, but most of us are not. We are simply trying to get through this with our sanity, our economic stability and our health intact.

We can take coronavirus seriously but also worry about government overreach, privacy and our economic stability. They are not mutually exclusive, in fact, it is normal to feel all of them. Of this I am certain.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmays.