After the sudden burst of energy as we confronted the new realities of life with SARS-CoV-2, it feels like we are in a period of letdown. At least I am.

We can’t sustain the manic energy of the early days.

Columns and podcasts and blog posts remind us that this is a marathon, not a sprint (or perhaps several marathons back-to-back); that we have just climbed onto the life raft but dry land is far away.

I believe the reality of all that is settling in. The way we are living now: we will be living like this for a long time, and when the restrictions lift, we may be back into social isolation one or more times again, before there are effective treatments and a vaccine.

Some of my friends on Facebook — especially people at home with children — are beginning to put up red flags: of exhaustion and the diminishment of hope.

I created this community blog 9 days ago, in the initial manic rush. Whether or not a critical mass of outside commentators develops (initial indication is “not”), I expect to keep recording my experiences here in nearly real-time. The intentions for this blog do not include posting only “feel-good” reports; in part the very act of reflecting on and posting about our experience is itself therapeutic, whether that experience is positive, negative, or otherwise.

So for today: it’s steady as she goes, count our blessings, and settle in for the long haul.