Missing the Pajama Party
Going to work has never felt so isolating. Judging by social media, everyone but me is at home.
My Facebook feed testifies that the online world is bonding over the shared quarantine experience. To flatten the curve and reduce chances of transmitting or contracting the virus, people have removed themselves from the physical world. They’ve quit filling their cars with gas. They joke about losing track of sleep schedules and days of the week. I feel left out.
While friends spend their days devising creative ways to ward off cabin fever, I go to work. The upside is that that there is so little street traffic these days.
There is little room for real-world community during a pandemic. In the virtual world, sure. The quarantined masses flood the Internet with memes and inspirational phrases meant to remind us we’re all in this together, that we must take care of one another. That we must stay home and livestream yet another virtual event.
The other day, I dashed off a response to the following Facebook post from a quarantined friend:
I didn’t have the mental energy for something creative or clever, so I simply wrote:
I’m scared to go out
But my job is essential
Thank god for weekends.
I didn’t use the #myquarantinehaiku tag because I’m not quarantined. I’m in exile with all the other essential workers, missing the world’s biggest pajama party.
