We are headed home to Brooklyn in 24 hours! We packed up hastily and evacuated the city on March 14, as the virus began spinning out of control. There was very little understanding of what was happening at that time and it became clear over the next few weeks that the city was infected much more than anybody realized; peak hospitalizations and deaths would occur about a month later, which we watched in horror from seclusion in Warwick. Fortunately, the numbers have diminished steadily in the city since then, although they have risen almost everywhere else in this country as America lacks any real leadership on this front and denial of science and mask efficacy has become a rallying cry from certain political leaders and constituents. Somehow this virus, which threatens all of us, has divided our nation even further and weakens our ability to control it.
Even knowing that the city is a shuttered shadow of its former self, we are longing to return home. Some of the aspects of city life we love the most, particularly concerts and theater, are gone and may not return for a year or more. Restaurants are severely limited but still offer takeout, which we will definitely be supporting (local favorite Thai Farm Kitchen has been dominating my cuisine fantasies!). Prospect Park may be an urban version of the natural setting that we have been so fortunate to be surrounded by over the past four months, but I can’t wait to wander around it with the diverse population of Brooklyn. And my bike! I have been building trails and a pump track for mountain biking in Warwick but I am truly looking forward to riding the city streets again! I know that nothing is quite as I remember it but I also know that it will be again and I want to be a part of the resurrection.
The next few months will be challenging as we attempt to navigate a return to school and work in the Fall that seems impossible under current circumstances. NYC public schools are always crunched for space and now that will be even more true as social distancing guidelines limit students per classroom; indications are that attendance will be one to three days per week for kids, which is sad and daunting for parents reliant on consistent child care and education provided by schools. My own work situation is also unknown; will I be teaching in a classroom or online? I have no idea and all possibilities are bleak and frightening. I will trust and accept the decisions of health officials and my colleagues and make every effort to keep myself and my family safe while supporting our institutions and community. We will triumph with communal responsibility and scientific progress and perhaps in the end all the death and disruption will lead to a safer and more empathetic society for all.