Body pain, buying water and sane conversations in a time of Elections and Coronavirus Covid19

Body pain
Morning after the first case of Coronavirus is reported in Guyana and my body feels stiff all over and moving is difficult. Throat is dry and I cough and I think of where I have been, who I have sat next to.

I wanted to make a post about the Coronavirus thing now makes Elections 2020 Guyana more stressful, and a snide comment about how gatherings to celebrate or protest the projected results from GECOM are not going to be healthy.

I drink the diclofenac tablet. I don't want to, but I don't want to keep feeling stiff. I do the chores, bending and stretching, but it is funny how the body moves but the pain and stiffness remain.

It is all in my head and soul I know, the thing I frighten about this virus is not about me getting sick, but about me passing it on to other people especially the elderly person I interact with daily.


Buying water, touching elbows
 I see  a car passing and a man is wearing a face mask. Bus comes up, and one passenger has the mask on his head. He might be a construction worker. Driver is trying to jump the light and so 'you gah fuh buss de road fuh mek a hustle'.  I try not to touch anywhere in the bus, but with the body in pain that is something if you bend and curve without holding on something.

Conductor gives me change and I think, oh hell, the money.. money is the dirtiest thing. And I kind of hold it with two fingers to push in my pocket.

I go to pay for the water. Money changes hands. The woman is not wearing a mask.  I go to full the bottles and wonder what the hell to do with the taps.

One looks wet so I imagine that somebody must have washed their hands. These excuses we make.

I kind of hold the tap with the inside of my fingers.  I can't keep up though, with wondering what I touch, what transferring where and so.

I wait on the taxi. Some people passing and they have on masks.

A man shouts Vidya and comes up, stretch out hands to shake and then laugh,  He bends his elbow and touches mine and we say yeah, no hand shakes.

Taxi man mind on the virus "US send the virus to China and it back fire.. man , this place hot, it can't live hey'.. 'nobody aint gun want buy food now'..

and I think of the lettuce I bought after a long time, washed it carefully, and which is preserving its crispness and I had bought it after thinking of other viruses and so.


Nothing about the lections.

Sane conversations
Man calls me the week after the elections to lament. Coalition supporter but he can't deal with the madness. ", Vidya you are the only sane person I could call now  , I know you independent and aint vote. " We talk about the PPP and about people voting for slap-and-strip Bheri, including some who did not vote from him in 2015. We talk about the coalition "Check Linden votes Vidya, check and see how many people didnt vote'.. and I tell him, man, for me to keep sane, I tell him, that my only way to survive is to tune out, to create my own world, like he did before he felt compelled to get back in, and to look for vacancies in other countries saying "I know they would never accept me fully, but this place is crazy'

Woman calls me , it has been a year or so since we talked. She didn't vote either, but "I read your blog and I thought calling you would be good., that the yoga and meditation alone not helping, . is what wrong in this place? Who thought that in 2020 you could try to rig elections and get away with it? "

And we Talk, long long, about different things. And the conversation moves away from elections to other things and we feel better for talking.


A friend sends me a podcast, saying "Sane conversation" from Sam Harris and Dr Amesh Adulja (10 March, 2020)  taking on the worst case scenario, and recommending social distancing and so on. 
 ( The World Health Organisation website has good information. )

Social distancing
"Mr Kissooonnnnnnnnnn ".. the woman comes to be , arms outstretched.
Saturday before elections. Woman who used to be security guard at the place where I worked  20 years or so ago. Vendor now. We always hail up.  She comes up and hugs me. We have never hugged or touched. She worried about elections and her livelihood.  The inter-racial hug at the time is healing.

The people say stay away, no social gatherings, no hugging and so -especially of strangers. Work from home, do the responsible thing.

But  I know, in this insane country, that if I go on the road again, and if she comes up to hug me, now  after the elections, I will hug her,  because I prefer the risky healing of the physical connection than the prevention from pushing her away.