Dear Ohio.

You will be fine.

Everything’s gonna be alright.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth. Do this three more times, slowly, intentionally.

You will be just fine.

I am telling you this from first-hand experience; currently living in a tiny (250 sq. ft.) apartment in the heart of Paris on day 9 of “lock down.” I have been watching the daily updates from Governor Dewine and Dr. Acton. I have been in contact with my family and friends who are affected on so many different levels.

I landed in Paris on the morning of March 3, 2020. A year-long process finally at the culmination point of, at last, being able to join my husband, who lives in Paris. The miles-long list of things we were going to do; the evening walks along the Seine, art exhibits, musical shows, weekend vacations in tiny towns across France, apéro with friends and so much more. We were planning to go to the Opéra in April and see Dita Von Teese in May.

That life, my dear friend, has been put abruptly on hold. Two weeks after my arrival, France was put on a strict lockdown. We knew this was coming, the Prime Minister closed all bars, cafes, restaurants, theaters, and discos at midnight on Sunday the 15th. Mind you, he announced this on Saturday night, at the 8 PM update conference. This was a punch in the gut; for the business owners, employees, and if you know anything about the French, it’s that they love their local cafe/bar/resto just as much as good wine and cheese.

We woke up Sunday morning to rumors circulating that there was going to be a lockdown on France. Sunday was gorgeous, the first gorgeous day in a while and like typical French people, everyone went out to parcs and gardens to enjoy and take in the weather because who knew when we’d be allowed outside again. Social distancing was not practiced by many and it was all over social media. We opted to stay in bed, practically all day, because why not. Monday rolled around and those lockdown rumors heated up especially after videos were surfacing of the throngs of people outside. The hubs informed his boss that he would be working from home and in the afternoon, we decided to head out to the store to buy some groceries. Here, I usually shop for a few meals and not a few days as the size of our fridge is exactly the same size as the one I had in my college dorm room. Think about that for a second.

Now, I’m shopping once a week, trying to limit my time outside and in public. There is a tension in the air, a change, something different. The slightest sniffle from someone and everyone turns their head/gaze. Is that Covid?

Ohio, you are strong.
You are wise.
You are respectful.

Look to your neighbors in this time. Not just your neighbors in the States, but your worldly neighbors. Look to how they are reacting, how this new virus is affecting them. Take notes, make observations. Take decisions based on what is before you. Learn from those before you and make decisions based on what other have experienced and recounted.

This is an uncertain time, but what is certain is that, I can take this time to reflect, rediscover, reinvent, reinvigorate, and remake.

Stay Buckeye strong!

bisous,
Sarah