And the people stayed home: a love letter to quarantine

Kitty O’Meara’s poem reads like a prayer we all need right now. I first heard it when my new amiga @asleeplessmind read it on TikTok, then soon after on @oprahsbookclub and knew I had to share.

A lot of us have been treating this unprecedented pandemic and the ensuing quarantines as if we were children being sent to our rooms. Like punishment, rather than safety. Our culture that thrives off of FOMO (fear of missing out) and “ pics or it didn’t happen” was suddenly shut down as people begrudgingly heeded the call to our own homes.

To say that most of us didn’t take this pandemic as seriously as we should have is an understatement. So many folks have been (and unfortunately continue to) ignore the severity of this unknown illness by risking theirs and their family’s health and lives. Beaches and boardwalks were full, parks were crowded, to many didn’t fully embrace the gentle mandates to stay away from crowds to stay healthy. Many of those same people now wish they had.

For those of us who did hear the clarion call, despite the desire to join the previous masses, many of us have found the beginning of Kitty’s poem to be true. I personally have reconnected with my family, over FaceTime of course, better than I had in previous weeks. I have had the chance to read books I had forgotten about, sleep in, write and write and write, rediscover old movies I loved, snuggle with my husband. And rest. Sweet sweet rest.

I know that I am speaking from one perspective (my own) and there are many extenuating circumstances that I have not experienced yet do respect, for the majority of us who can stay home, who can help flatten the curve, who can help our medical system by not overwhelming by staying healthy, lets do that.