Sonomans look for the bright side of the pandemic

The deadly coronavirus pandemic has caused all manner of misery, with more than 40 million Americans unemployed overnight, one-third of the global population forced into lockdown and economic havoc visited up countries and continents.

The virus has proved to be a wily adversary, and — as the uncertainty drags on — a robust one.

But even in a pandemic Sonomans try to look on the bright side of things, and they’re finding silver linings, as individual as they are.

Perhaps the most obvious advantage of the pandemic has been the radical reduction in vehicle traffic as people shelter in place. “For a while there was way less traffic around town,” Sonoma resident Eddie Adams said. “More people got into garden work and fix-ups around their homes.”

“My garden has never looked better,” agreed Les Boschke.

The opportunity to advance individual culinary skills has been a boon for many in the Valley as well, and Boschke said that his family was finding new inspiration in the kitchen. “With little else to do, my wife and I have been taking turns cooking, making fun, creative meals.”

Linda Hunter told the Index-Tribune that she and her husband started a “Nana and Pop Cooking School” to connect with their four grandchildren. “These are kids that are typically very busy with activities and we would rarely get to talk to them,” Hunter said. “Now we do a FaceTime once a week at 5 p.m. where we prepare a meal together and then sit down and have dinner together. They are so excited about it and want to do it all summer. We’ve talked to them more in the last couple of months than we have in years.”

Many people are reporting that their family ties have been strengthened by COVID. “My son — who lives in Mexico City and has a medical condition — has been here since March,” Carole Sherer said. “It has been a healing time for our relationship.”

Amee Scott is likewise finding joy in the forced re-nesting of her nearly-grown sons. “I never expected to have us all together again. We are a family with four boys, and it has been fabulous watching their interactions as our time together has been uninterrupted. Lots of cooking, hours at the dinner table, horrible movies, bad haircuts given to each other, the older guys teaching the 14-year-old to drive… I have loved every minute of this odd time.”

The simple gift of time has been another upside of COVID for some. “More time for self-reflection, hiking, yoga, meditation and enjoying just the littlest things in life,” Teitzah Karvs said. “A sweet hummingbird nested in the tree right near my back porch. What a blessing. I am filled with gratitude each day for the beauty in nature and my good health and my family and friends.”

Karv’s 5-year-old granddaughter has been a bright spot for her, showing up regularly to say a socially distanced hello. “Every week she does a live performance for me dancing and singing.”

Others have even found things to celebrate in the mandated — and often groused about — wearing of masks. “There’s been no need to wear lipstick when I went out each day since I would be wearing a mask. So I’ve used less lipstick in these past three months,” Elizabeth Link told the Index-Tribune. “And not putting makeup on every day since we were stuck inside has saved a little money too! A funny upside.”

The general easing of personal grooming standards have convinced some in town of their superfluity. “I’ve learned that I really don’t need acrylic nails,” Amy Olmstead said. “I can cut my own bangs (carefully) and even color my own hair!”

Olmstead, who moved to Sonoma just one week before the county issued its SIP order, was initially concerned that she would be cut off from others. “But I’ve actually met some lovely locals via social media,” she said. “It’s given me time to read some fascinating history about this beautiful town, and start a list of things I must do when the air clears. Funny enough, getting more comfortable with Zoom has actually rekindled relationships with friends who have always lived hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Cocktail zooms will definitely be the norm in my life. Oh, and cocktails to-go definitely must continue!”

Despite ongoing efforts to find light in the dark, the pandemic remains an existential challenge for many. “Normal life” may prove to have been permanently altered by COVID, and those losses are vast, almost incalculable.

“It’s easier to appreciate the upsides if you’re fortunate not to have been totally devastated by jobs and school coming to a grinding halt,” Kathy O’Neill said. “Much of society was not financially prepared to weather this storm. The stress of that alone might make it difficult to appreciate any upsides to the crisis.”

Contact Kate at kate.williams@sonomanews.com.