The Narrative Within

The unbearable weight of being there

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Art for Housewives

Daniela Trezzi was a 34 year old nurse working in the intensive care unit at Monza’s San Gerado hospital. Anyone who has been following the news understands how traumatic it is for doctors and nurses to work in these units. First of all, they are on their feet for hours wearing a mask that, once sterilized, can’t be taken off until they go off duty. This means going without food and water for hours.

For nurses, more so than for doctors, it also means that you are with a patient in the last minutes of their life. Without family or friends around, the dying patient prays the nurse for one last expression of comfort before he’s gone forever. Imagine the psychological burden that that can leave you with. Imagine the nightmares these nurses have at night.

Daniela was already stressed out mentally and physically when she learned that she, too, was coronavirus positive. That’s when her world fell totally apart—not just because she feared for her life but because she felt guilty that, unknowingly, she’d infected someone else. Unable to live with this thought, Daniela killed herself. And she is not the only nurse to have done so. SOURCE

The death rate of nurses and doctors who’ve died because of coronavirus increases every day. But they didn’t catch the virus because they were bored at home and just had to get out of the house like a dog in heat. They caught it because they were in the hospital trying to save an infected person’s life. The life of a person who was a stranger to them but, for someone else, was a family member and/or loved one.

If you are not self-isolating, you are putting someone’s life at risk.

deaths related to illness

There is no international standardization as to how data is interpreted. Many countries base their COVID-19 death count on those who, having another illness, died of that illness and not because of the virus. Italy, however, bases its death count on those who died with the virus even if they had other illnesses as well.

In Italy, a large number of the deaths are those of the elderly. Many have pre-existing conditions so their immune system is weak thus they are easily infected. (Italy has one of the largest populations of elderly in the world). The chart above shows how only a small fraction of the deaths in Italy are due strictly to the coronavirus. Many countries apparently have a lower death rate because they blame the other existing illness as the main cause of death instead of the coronavirus. It reminds me of how, years ago, many people infected with AIDS were said to have died of pneumonia and not of AIDS.

Related: 24 doctors dead of coronavirus, Chi sono i 24 medici morti per il coronavirus + 34 Heartbreaking Pics Of Overworked Doctors Are Going Viral, Proving That They Too Have Human Limits + US coronavirus: Worker at NYC hospital where staff were forced to wear TRASH BAGS dies at 48 + WORLDOMETERS with daily updates + “VOGLIO INIZIARE A DIRE LA VERITÀ: LA METÀ DEI NEWYORKESI VERRÀ CONTAGIATA” – È LA TETRA PREVISIONE DEL SINDACO BILL DE BLASIO +

a nurse breaks down and cries…after a 48 hour shift, she goes to the supermarket to find the shelves empty

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Posted in Drawings & Paintings, Lifestyle | Tagged coronavirus, Daniela Trezzi, Living the Lockdown | 2 Comments

When little things suddenly become big.

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Art for Housewives

Mariagrazia Casanova, a 49 year old supermarket clerk from Brescia, complained that she had a sore throat and difficulties breathing. Four days later, Mariagrazia died. Her four kids will never see her again.

Every day, poorly paid people we take for granted– clerks, butchers, bakers, fishmongers, delivery people– are getting sick and/or dying just to provide us with services necessary for our own survival. So when my daughter (who’s in Milano) posted about her trip to the grocery store, I asked permission to repost it here. Chiara’s post was written in Italian and her words are perfumed with untranslatable nuances. It’s impossible for me to render her justice in English but I’ve tried. (The original in Italian is found below).

Thank you, Chiara.

Asparaga Claws

Asparagus Claws by Chiara Pilar

Quarantine, 5th week.

Yesterday I left home for the first time, after ten days, to go to the supermarket. To feel your joints move as you go down the stairs, to see the saturated colors on the street, to feel the fresh air on your face … what a strange sensation. But alas, the goal was near.

There was a line in front of the supermarket and I heard people complaining about it, they didn’t want to waste so much time … who knows what they could possibly have to do, I asked myself. In what place could haste go? The concept of time – and not only – has been disrupted by this situation. At times, I don’t even remember what day it is and I’m almost thankful for the existence of that line because it makes me gain more moments of fresh air on my face.

Once I entered the supermarket I hurried to get my goodies and, when I arrived at the checkout, I thank the cashier and his colleagues for being there and giving us the opportunity to buy food. He remains stunned for a moment, looking at me with curiosity.

I tell him that I imagined that it’s not easy to work in such a context and that I appreciated what all of them were doing. Half his face was covered, but above that piece of fabric there were shiny and moved eyes. The mask does not hide emotions. He told me it is hard, that the mask he has is not enough to protect himself and that I was the first to address him with certain words.

Now, I don’t know about you but I feel lucky to have the opportunity to protect myself at home without having to be like a suicide bomber going out to work in contact with the public with minimal and deficient protective measures. The situation is heavy and exhausting for everyone, you know, but if it ever happens, between a zucchini and a kiwi – or whatever situation it is – it would be nice to address a little word of solidarity and encouragement to those who have no choice and provide us with a huge service. Let’s smooth the claws of the asparagus, beautiful children.

Italiano:

Quarantena, 5° settimana.

Ieri sono uscita per la prima volta di casa, dopo dieci giorni, per recarmi al supermercato. Sentire le gambe articolarsi per scendere le scale, vedere i colori saturi per strada, sentire l’aria fresca in faccia…che strana sensazione. Ma ahimè, la meta era vicina.

C’era la fila davanti al supermercato e sentivo delle persone lamentarsene, non volevano perderci troppo tempo…chissà cosa avranno mai da fare, mi son chiesta. In che luogo andrà mai, la fretta, di questi tempi? La concezione del tempo – e non solo – è stata scombussolata da questa situazione. Io, a momenti, non ricordo neanche più in che giorno siamo e quasi ringraziavo l’esistenza di quella coda, perché mi faceva guadagnare istanti di aria fresca sul viso.

Una volta entrata nel supermercato mi affretto a prendere le mie leccornie e, arrivata in cassa, ringrazio il cassiere ed i suoi colleghi per essere lì e darci la possibilità di acquistare il cibo. Lui rimane per un attimo basito, guardandomi con curiosità. Gli dico che immaginavo che non fosse facile lavorare in un contesto del genere e che apprezzavo quello che tutti loro stavano facendo. Mezzo volto era coperto, ma sopra quel pezzetto di tessuto c’erano degli occhi lucidi e commossi. La mascherina non nasconde le emozioni. Mi ha detto che è dura, che la mascherina che ha non è sufficiente per proteggersi e che ero la prima a rivolgergli certe parole.

Ora, non so voi ma io mi sento fortunata ad avere la possibilità di proteggermi a casa senza dover fare la kamikaze per andare a lavorare a contatto col pubblico con misure protettive minime e carenti. La situazione è pesante ed estenuante per tutti, si sa, ma se mai vi capitasse, tra una zucchina e un kiwi – o qualsiasi altra situazione che sia – sarebbe carino rivolgere una parolina di solidarietà ed incoraggiamento per chi non ha scelta e ci fornisce un enorme servizio. Smussiamo gli artigli degli asparagi, fanciulli belli.

Related: Mariagrazia’s story, Death of Store Clerk in Italy Highlights Contagion’s New Front Line

the scarf b

Posted in Lifestyle | Tagged Chiara Pilar, coronavirus, Living the Lockdown | 7 Comments

Viva la nonna

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Art for Housewives

Adesso Pedala

In Italian, there’s an expression “Hai voluto la bicicletta, pedala” (you wanted a bike, so pedal). Simply put, accept the aftermath of your actions.

Once upon a time, there were a bunch of dudes hyped up on globalization because they thought that, by having a bigger market, they’d have a fatter wallet. But they didn’t consider possible consequences. Like that of burdening the world with a pandemic.

Alma Clara Corsini

Alma Clara Corsini is a 95 year old grandmother. On March 5, she was admitted to the hospital of Pavullo in northern Italy as she was infected with the coronavirus. But, to the joy of all Italians, she’s recovered. SOURCE

At the same time Alma was praising the medical staff that cured her, Texas Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick, was saying that grandparents were willing to die to save the economy. (I, personally, would like to know how many grandparents he polled to come up with that declaration.) As with Trump, Patrick is worried that taking preventive measures against the coronavirus will hurt the US economy. And, as the elderly are more susceptible, they should be sacrificed so they won’t burden the system. I wonder if he was referring to Trump who is a 73 year old grandfather with underlying health issues. SOURCE

There reason why this pandemic is hitting so hard is because of budget cuts and an irresponsible reaction to the coronavirus outbreak from the beginning. Instead of considering Napoleon’s battlefield triage methods, heads of state should, as my mother would say, jack up their backbones and affront the problem. That’s what leaders are supposed to do.

Suggesting that the elderly should be the first to go is a form of discrimination thus anti-American. How can equality exist if one person’s life is given more value than another’s. (Please take a look at the Declaration of Independence where it says “All men are created equal.”)

And please, stop faking to be a Christian. If you share Patrick’s idea, then you’ve flunked Bible school. Remember that commandment, the one about honouring your father and mother? It says honor your father and mother. Period. It doesn’t say to honor them save when you fear your losing money in the stock market. (Exodus 20:1–21)

And why aren’t the pro-lifers protesting Patrick? If a woman gets an abortion because she can’t afford to raise a child, that’s a sin. But to hell with saving granny if it means losing money.

Dan Patrick & Co. should take time out from looking at stock market graphs to read up on “The Grandmother Hypothesis.” Then they would know that grandmothers helped societies evolve. As the lifespan extended, post-menopause women could stay home to take care of the children as younger women went to forage for food and do other chores that the community depended upon (and this was a big boost for the economy). Plus grandmothers had a wisdom that could only come with age. Eliminating many of the trials and tribulations needed for acquiring knowledge, this wisdom helped the community survive.

Moral of the story: we need more grandmothers and fewer politicians.

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Related: The Gifts of Our Grannies + Grandmother Hypothesis, Grandmother Effect, and Residence Patterns

7 Old Wives’ Tales That Are Actually Scientifically Proven + Older age becomes common late in human evolution

* Unfortunately, I can’t give credits for Alma’s photo…it was published everywhere but without a name. I excuse myself with the photographer.

Posted in Drawings & Paintings, Health & Healing, Lifestyle | Tagged Alma Clara Corsini, coronavirus, Dan Patrick, Grandmother Hypothesis, Living the Lockdown | 5 Comments

Rachel’s Lockdown

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Art for Housewives

Rachel Smith, addicted to making objects of interest and of beauty, fled to China where a lovely middle-aged Chinese man with a flawed lung in a string vest taught her the ancient secrets of Chinese watercolour as he fed her watermelon and other nourishing fruits.

For some time now, I’ve been following Rachel’s addiction on Senseless, her Instagram account. One of her most intriguing projects was that of “restyling” matchboxes. She made a matchbox a day for a year.

Rachel lives in Hong Kong so she knows better than I what living a lockdown is all about. She said that the fifth week is the hardest. I’ve just arrived at the second and feel the stress. So I asked Rachel to write something for this blog about the experience of living a shut down. And here’s what she had to say:

Hello World! Counting from the first real panic here in Hong Kong, we have been living with this virus since the end of January. We are sitting here in our homes, watching you go through the same trauma we went through and empathising with you. We are on week 8 of our Coronavirus lockdown in Hong Kong. Rice and toilet paper have been back on the shelves since week 3 and food scarcity isn’t much of a concern here now.

Rachel Smith

It turns out that even without the dreaded ‘hoarders’ just a small increase in weekly buying habits of the entire population of our city will put a strain on the supply system. The food supply system is more competent than most other things in the world. Do tip your hat to the delivery driver next time you see them and maybe let them cut in front of you when you see them on the road. Take a moment to think about the farmer who grew your food as you are eating it. They keep you alive. Now is a good time to start looking at your own food habits. Do you throw food away because it spoils before you get around to eating it? What a luxury! We in first world countries have so much and we are often not even aware of it. Take a good look around your kitchen and really think about how much you need to live on for 2 weeks. It is easy to overestimate. We WANT diversity, exceptional tastes, beautiful food. We are so blessed and wealthy that we can choose to have a different meal every night. We have been living in paradise. We can live on a lot less.

Rachel Smith

Check your basics. Challenge yourself to think of how long you can continue to make meals for in what you actually have in your home right now (not allowed to include eating a family member). You will be surprised. It is a great time to have a discussion with food fussy family members about being open to different experiences (skip the toddlers – they won’t listen anyway). Instead of the multi ingredient foodie posts you usually see on social media – share simpler recipes with family and friends. Eat until your hunger is satisfied and then stop. You will find your food anxieties lessen with each meal. Take a deep breath. The supply chain will recover soon.

Rachel Smith

What to do about this home quarantine? Once again we are blessed. We have a world of entertainment at our fingertips. We have the capabilities to communicate with loved ones. We can’t always have close contact but we have so much more than previous generations had! Now is the time to sit down and write a letter. Write to everyone you know. Use a pen, find that fancy paper you have been saving for a special time. Write to your future self and put the letter in a book and forget about it, write to yourself at 10 and give advice about life. Count your blessings, then count them again. Write your fears on toilet paper and use that paper over the coming days. It brings whole new perspective.

Rachel Smith

Sit down and do something analog. Spend a ridiculous amount of time organising your stationery drawer, refold ALL your clothes, clean and polish your shoes – repair your socks. Do all that stuff you don’t have time for normally. Whatever you do, DO something that you can finish at least once per day. Even if it is small and not every important – to decide to do something and then follow it through gives you a real sense of accomplishment. We could all use a win even if it is only getting the inside of the bathroom cabinet sparkling. Now is a good time to have a hobby – or even an obsession.

Rachel Smith

Christmas comes every year – start knitting those socks, pick up a pen and draw a picture, do the same small thing over and over again until you have multiples, draw 10 sheep, write 10 poems, arrange 10 photos – having one of anything you have made is satisfying – having 10 is a collection. Research something you have always been curious about. Do you know anything about pangolins? Or how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly? Or why narwhals exist? Why spelling is so annoying? Check out one of your friend’s obsessions – ask them what makes researching 18th century sailing vessels so exciting – you may be surprised now that you have the leisure time to listen. Got kids? Get yourself a deck of cards and play some card games. They learn so much from playing games – risk assessment, calculation, social cues, how to lose well and win gracefully. Get them to make up the rules – let them discover why guaranteed winning isn’t as much fun as they think. Start a game with friend over facetime – play scrabble online.

Now IS the time to take advantage of the screens! Do the schoolwork if you can but also take some time to talk about why they are learning what they are learning. And if the lesson doesn’t make sense or it is too hard? Leave it, come back to it again.

Rachel Smith

We are facing a new world order here, compound fractions will still be there when all this is sorted out. My partner and I have very different working hours. Often I get out of bed to get ready for my day an hour after he gets into it from work. We don’t always get to hang out with one another but for the past several week – we suddenly have a lot of time together in the same (very) small space. We have headphones – so we can listen to separate things in the same place, we have our own devices to limit demand on the computer. We don’t have kids but we do have one another and we are enjoying getting reacquainted. We sleep when we are tired, and wake up when we are not. We are finding life has a new rhythm and we aren’t trying to change it much. At first we worried about the future but every time we made a plan and adjusted our expectations, they changed again. Now we are just sitting and waiting to see what happens next. People are infinitely flexible, resourceful and creative. That includes your partner and your family. That includes you.

Rachel Smith

Rachel does podcasting, storytelling, organizes Hong Kong Stories, and takes miniaturised versions of real people on adventures with Tiny Trekkers Travel Agency.

Some of Rachel’s Matchbox Art:

Rachel Smith

Below is a video showing how the Chinese are keeping down the number of infected:

Posted in Drawings & Paintings, Lifestyle | Tagged Living the Lockdown, Rachel Smith | 4 Comments

Two weeks of Lockdown

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Art for Housewives

Update:

Numbers of infected according to country: 1^st place China, 2^nd place Italy, 3^rd USA. Source

For my friends in the States, check out to see how long before you become a character in a sequel of The Shining: Why you must act now. For Texas: Point of no-return for intervention to prevent hospital overload: Mar 28 to Apr 3.

Contagions and coronavirus deaths, there is a minimal decrease: The data of the Civil Protection bulletin say that Italy has reached 59,138 cases. The total number of deaths is 5,476 while the healed are 7,024. … “These are slightly lower numbers than yesterday”… Source

There is increasing preoccupation for battered wives forced to be inside with violent husbands who are more nerved out than usual.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. After aid from China, Cuban doctors arrived yesterday, and Russia sent nine IL-76 aircraft with eight mobile teams of virologists and military doctors, machinery for the sanctification of transport and the territory and medical equipment. To be noted, Russians, thanks to Chernobyl, have a certain kind of expertise.

Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, now quarantined.

Odour

This morning when I looked in the mirror, I jumped back and said “Damn, who is that woman looking back at me?” Of course, it was me but, since the lockdown, I look different. Haggard and with a strange look in my eyes. So my vanity, which in general isn’t very boisterous, this morning let itself be heard. First thing, a nice bath with full blast background music. Then make up, perfume, and, of course, big silver earrings. My mornings are now spent on the balcony preparing my victory garden and I wanted to look my best for our plants. They give me so much comfort and I don’t want them to feel like I take them for granted.

Up until Saturday, in addition to grocery stores, pharmacies, and banks, hardware and perfume stores were opened as well as they were considered essential. I couldn’t understand how a perfume store could be considered essential until this morning. In a situation like the one we are living, it’s important to feel good about yourself. When you stay home all the time, it’s easy to neglect yourself as if our appearance was something we cured for the others instead of for ourselves. But I don’t want to live in my pyjamas and slob out. Because it’s like surrendering. I no longer control over where I can move but I do have control over my appearance.

And now, let’s celebrate Cuba and the doctors they sent!