“I got some groceries, some peanut butter, to last a couple of days…
But I ain’t got no speakers, ain’t got no headphones
Ain’t got no records to play”
— Life During Wartime, Talking Heads

Day One: Friday March 13th, 2020
We’ve had couple weeks’ talk about this Covid-19 virus becoming a real issue in our daily lives. Collectively, we’ve admitted it’s actually a thing now. It feels similar to an evacuation for a forest fire– which I’ve had to do twice now– only you can’t drive away from this. The tension is light, the first few hours feel like days. It feels like the days will last like weeks.

A friend said “God just stopped us in our tracks”
Another friend said“This forces us (LA residents) to slow down and reconsider what matters”

What matters?
Before the pandemic:
My van needed new shocks. To be honest, it’s needed new shocks for months, but I’ve been putting it off for the day when I can afford the super smooth high end ones. The fancy ones made for driving dirt roads.
But they’re kinda spendy.
What if I can’t go to work, and earn as much? Do I still need fancy shocks? Did I ever need them?
Maybe the regular shocks will do. Come to think of it, I could have afforded the regular shocks easily– and had I done so; put on the “regular” shocks– I would have saved myself many trips of teeth-rattling washboard desert roads and some occasionally scary body roll in the mountains. I’ve been driving around on blown, bumpy shocks because I was waiting for the best… and now I feel silly for that.

Don’t let great be the enemy of good. 

Today– I just want the regular, frugal, shocks.
While I do enjoy driving, it’s what I do when I’m out of the car that matters.
Frugality matters, and being here/ doing it now matters.