how we experience this

The way we talk about "this" and experience "this" is an interesting evolution.
The initial excitement, wondering, borderline panic.
Checking the news every few minutes. Waking up to sniffles and fearing the worst.
I imagine it follows the phases of grief--denial, anger, acceptance, etc.
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On group chats, I listen as people in different socio-economic and geographic strata talk about it.

• The programmer says things aren't so bad.
• The health worker says they did one procedure in a full work shift.
• The cook says they had to quit a temp job due to the 4-bus, 3-hour commute.
• The transit worker says work limps along but buses are restricted to 20% capacity.
• The parent says they hide in the basement so their kids can't find them.
• The laid-off consultant says they interviewed last in February.

Once again, the hardest hit are the least equipped with savings or other fallbacks.
Those of us with work from home jobs are the most blase.
Our biggest worry is the line at Trader Joe's or what to watch on Quibi.
Meanwhile, New York is burying people in mass graves.
Meanwhile, 80% of the people I saw on my morning walk yesterday were unmasked, couples hogging the sidewalk and walking dogs, white dudes speed walking and blathering loudly on conference calls.
Meanwhile, the city of Seattle is closing parks on this spring weekend to pre-emptively stop the gatherings.
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Today I don't know if I can find a positive. Striving and surviving are my goals for the day.