We all have a part to play. We all have a part to play always, but more so right now as the coronavirus ramps up it onslaught across the U.S. Is the part we play to hug a loved one? No, it isn’t. Is it to blow wet kisses to everyone in the street? Absolutely not, quit playing games. Is it to cough directly up into the air? You bite your tongue. Our part is to keep to one’s self and to one‘s family so as not to infect others, so as not to overrun the health care system, so as to hopefully get through this with a country to live in on the other side.
Gwyneth Paltrow, contagion queen, has a tip to that end. Have you tried walking to the local farmers market with your husband in an end-of-the-world-chic outfit of gloves, mask, a couple bags of greens? Just a thought.
Her course of action? She can tell you, via Instagram caption, “[W]e walked there (keeping lots of distance) and donned masks and gloves once we got nearer to the market, only taking them off when we were almost home and there were no other pedestrians in close proximity. Yesterday I heard tales of crowded hiking trails and parks. Although we are all on a learning curve and aren’t always perfect as we figure out this temporary new normal, we must take the orders seriously and not abuse the freedoms we still have; grocery store and essential errand runs, bike rides or walks (being disciplined about correct protocol).”
There are, too, ideas on potential activities from a thought leader in the contagion space, and she comes through: “It’s not the time for denial. We must take this seriously and shelter in place. It’s time for nesting, reading, cleaning out closets, doing something you’ve always wanted to do (write a book, learn an instrument or a language or learn to code online, draw or paint) going through photos, cooking, and reconnecting on a deeper level with the people you love. I find hope in the generosity, love, protection and care I see and feel through out our country everyday and my heart goes out to everyone directly affected or simply in fear. We will get through and I bet you our humanity will shine like never before.”
This is a hard time to be a celebrity, if you’ll permit a little heavy-is-the-head-that-wears-the-crown talk. It’s kind of damned if you do, damned if you don’t, damned if you do something else. To wit, if Paltrow says something to the effect of “stay indoors,” it can come across preachy. If she didn’t say anything that would be frustrating as well, seeing as she’s such a controversial, yet important player in the health and wellness space. And she recently got in trouble for going off-topic in a different Instagram post. She was called tone-deaf as a post about her outfit went live, a ‘fit that was much less appropriate for dealing with coronavirus and more appropriate for working in an open-plan office. “Most days you’ll find GP wearing G.Label with a pair of sneakers—which is one reason we make it an annual tradition to put together a fresh sneaker guide each year,” it read. “Get ready to cover some serious ground (run, don’t walk).” The post is long gone by now. It will be all contagion chic all the time from now until who knows. And that is probably for the best.
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