last night, as part of its plan to slowly reopen metropolitan life and the national economy, the turkish government announced a handful of changes to current co-vid 19 restrictions.
next week, young people get to leave their homes for the first time in nearly two months. so do older citizens; those over the age of 65. each group gets separate days. hairdressers, barber shops and malls can all open their doors again on monday- but must follow strict social distancing and sanitization procedures.
it makes me nervous.
but i can understand that people need to get out of their houses. not just because so many residents of istanbul have been cooped up in small, crowded apartments for the past two months and need the psychological relief of getting out; but also, because people must go back to work and make money. the turkish economy did not enter the global pandemic in a particularly strong position and there are so many people who need to reestablish actual incomes to meet their basic needs.
it is scary to be thinking about all these spaces reopening. it worries me, the thought of people being out and about again. i don’t like this path to reopening because it leaves a lot of grey area. there will be choices to be made now. i liked the clear mandates; the government telling me what i can and cannot do. where and how i can go.
i admit, fully, that my privilege allows me this luxury.
i have a large, comfortable home; plenty of good fresh food; enough money saved to weather this storm; a private outdoor space that my family can use freely; the girls’ e-learning is just fine, they are busy and engaged; my parents, and erim’s, are all safe and healthy and we can see them- from a safely masked distance- at least once a week; and we have learned how to connect virtually with loved ones who are further away.
having all three girls at home all the time has been, for me, heavenly. i thrive on being a mother and my family all together fills my heart. with no formal school or afterschool activities to rush off to we have had time to eat long meals, cook, do yoga, take walks, watch movies and pop popcorn slowly- the old-fashioned way.
i have been happy to stay at home, to enjoy my people, and to slow down.
but now, with no clear understanding of how it will work, we are being allowed – kind of—to speed up. and with that comes choices…
some decisions seem easy, and probably will be, for many of us. having gotten the hang of online shopping; i won’t be going into a mall anytime soon. so many of our favorite restaurants are now offering takeout or delivery options, so no need to risk that. and schools will certainly be closed through may.
but what about socializing? if we can go to a mall can we go sit on a friend’s front porch? our nephew was supposed to graduate from college this weekend; can we raise a glass of champagne to his success? should i bring my own glass? decisions and choices must be made…
and the biggest, probably most difficult of these, involves my children. on their day of “freedom” (4 hours next friday) can they see their friends? how safe will that be?
i trust my girls. they are intelligent, worldly, understanding children. they fully grasp the potential danger of this disease- if not to themselves directly, then to their loved ones. but they are also human. And i get it. it is amazing that we can connect virtually, but i really want a hug too. leaning, literally, physically, on a friend is irreplaceable. we are naturally social creatures. we thrive in close knit communities. we need it. And oh, have we missed it!
so here comes the hard part.
i knew it was coming. i was dreading it. the choices. each of us will have to weather the storm of the coming weeks and months in our own way. in ways that feel “ok” to us. but i know that saying “no” when other parents say “yes”- staying in while others go out- is going to be hard. and so, starting next week, we’ll do our best to weigh our options, cross our fingers and continue to take each day as it comes.
a certain slant of light 