Frozen in Place

Sometime in March, time came to a halt for almost all of us. Life stopped in its tracks.

For the great majority of people, the only concrete change was staying at home. But a smaller group of us, still numbering in the millions I'm sure, were caught between things -- jobs, places, homes. We were stopped while in motion.

In my case, I was suspended between two apartments. My possessions were spread over three cities. But I also was lucky because I had family members ready to help me move to a third location and settle in with them.

We had to develop new daily routines. Time slowed to a glacial pace. The past four months have felt like four years.

Around here, we've started talking about the early days of the pandemic with an almost nostalgic tone. 'Remember back then, when traffic was lighter and home deliveries were more of a novelty?' 'When we were excited by the discovery of ordinary, everyday items?'

It's become clear that we are a restless people bursting at the constraints that should be keeping the pandemic in check, according to public health experts. It is not surprising that Americans are among those having the hardest time staying put; our entire culture is rooted in freedom.

Meanwhile the country struggles with a lack of leadership. Of course Democrats are attacking President Trump; they sense an electoral victory in November. But lately, it is Republicans and conservative-leaning media driving the growing movement to expel the incumbent from the White House.

Liberals love to hate the Fox Network, but the most damaging interview of Trump to date was conducted by Fox Sunday anchor Chris Wallace. It's a must-see for anyone clinging to the idea that Trump knows what he is doing.

Among the many blows Wallace delivers as an interviewer, he debunks Trump's absurd claim that he "aced" his cognition test. He also shows Trump is lying that Joe Biden supports defunding the police (he doesn't), and that the President  remains in denial about the seriousness of the pandemic.

The Lincoln Project, a Republican group, has produced a devastating ad, which quotes Trump's press secretary's statement as if it were breaking news: "He can read!"

Numerous GOP leaders are contradicting the President's anti-mask position, and his blanket statement that all schools should reopen, regardless of whether it is safe for kids if they do so. Many despise his shameless attacks on his own leading health expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and a growing number say they won't vote for him this fall.

If Trump loses, it may be that Republicans of conscience will be the driving force behind his defeat. According to a Fox News poll, Biden leads Trump by eight points among registered voters. Other polls suggest a larger lead for the Democrat.

I don't know about you, but after what happened in 2016 I'll believe those numbers only when I see them as verified results. Until then, I have to assume that Trump will be in power until 2024.

***

Thinking back to the pre-lockdown days, what is striking is how much we did not yet know. We'd lived lifetimes of freedom, and the phrase "shelter-in-place" was familiar only from the scenes of mass shooting incidents.

We were used to commuting to work, and to having our kids go to schools. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops were a staple of urban and suburban life.

People of faith went to their houses of worship. Fitness buffs went to gyms. Theaters with plays and movies, lecture halls, music venues, dance performances were all available, as were bookstores, clubs, and gaming ventures.

Sports stadia filled up, drawing huge crowds, as did theme parks and amusement complexes.

Film companies set up shop all over the place; in California it was unusual to not see some sort of film crew every week of the year.

Shopping centers and malls drew many; beaches and parks were filled with locals and tourists.

Buses, trains, ferries and planes were packed with travelers.

There was an unending bustle to our pre-virus life. No one thought it would ever come to a grinding halt.

In Hollywood films, it is a common technique to stop the action with a freeze frame, usually to allow the audience to catch up with the action.

When our real lives were frozen in place last March, the action stopped for good. The people who would normally start up the cameras again are gone, sheltering-in-place like the rest of us.

"Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.

"And you, of tender years,
Can't know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die."

-- Crosby, Stills & Nash

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