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NAVIGATING the PANDEMIC journey TOGETHER

Keep Going!

6/18/2020

12 Comments

 
"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Winston Churchill
Organ Cave, West Virginia / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
The entrance to Organ Cave, where I once had a hellish moment trapped underground.

​I’m not much of a spelunker, but some years ago, I found myself deep underground on a private “wild tour” of West Virginia’s Organ Cave,.
 
“How long does the tour take?” I’d asked at the outset.
 
“Five hours.”
 
“Sorry, we only have three; we need to get back for a business dinner.”
 
“OK, we’ll do it in three,” said the guide, bounding like a mountain goat down the rocks.
 
Scrambling after him through the winding caverns, our only light the headlamps on our miner’s hats, Rich and I eventually reached a vast cavern with a row of stalactites that could, if you squinted just right, be said to look like a pipe organ. We had about thirty seconds to gawp at its magnificence and then we were racing back.

Organ Cave, West Virginia / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
It looked considerably spookier by the narrow beam of the headlamp on my miner's hat.

​I was doing all this in old, slippery sneakers and was frankly feeling pretty proud of how well I was managing until halfway back, when I ran into trouble.
 
I’d dropped a little behind while navigating slender footholds on either side of a narrow crevasse. The gap kept getting wider and the space for my feet narrower until I ran out of footholds. I flashed my headlamp wildly around, seeking any way forward; nope, I was well and truly stuck. I called out and the guide sprinted back to help. “Look again,” he said and shone his headlamp over the rim of the crevasse. There, below the edge, were abundant outcroppings of rock and packed earth, offering easy footing all along the way.
 
I’ve thought of that moment a thousand times in the years since, most often when I’m trying not to panic over something — like this week’s Washington Post piece “The coronavirus pandemic isn’t ending, it’s surging.” While some countries, such as New Zealand and Taiwan, have eradicated the virus, the US is still in deep trouble, with death tolls predicted to reach 200,000 by October. The optimism, or economic desperation, that fueled the reopening is giving way to gloom. “As the long, hot summer of 2020 begins,” said an article in The Atlantic, “the facts suggest that the U.S. is not going to beat the coronavirus. Collectively, we slowly seem to be giving up.”


​I can’t speak for all of America, but around here the attitude isn’t so much despair as discombobulation. Official information is skimpy, advice conflicting, directives vague. “The administration’s guidelines for ‘opening up America again’ are so bereft of operational specifics that they’re like a cake recipe that simply reads, “Make cake,” wrote Ed Yong in The Atlantic. We’re all stumbling in the dark. “As things change the uncertain feelings seem to stay the same,” my friend Kitty wrote in a comment on my post last week. “What should I do or not do?”
 
Kitty, the only thing I can tell you for sure is that we should all start planning for the long haul. Experts predict the pandemic could easily hold us in its grip for two years. Let’s hope they’re not being as overly optimistic as the Spanish officials who told us in March that lockdown would last two weeks. Whatever the timeframe turns out to be, it behooves us all to take a deep breath, stop talking about “when all this is over,” and start figuring out how we’re going to live the best lives we can now, in the shadow of COVID-19.
 
How? According to positive psychology, there are five key elements of a happy life:

  1. Positive emotion, such as happiness, excitement, pride, and satisfaction
  2. Engagement in activities that make us feel alive and keep us off autopilot
  3. Relationships with people who bring us joy
  4. Meaning or a sense of purpose
  5. Accomplishments, even simple ones like making bread
Bread baking as a survival tool / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
The first batch of sourdough bread made by my friend Phil, using a recipe from Josey Baker Bread. Since then he's reinvented the recipe; see link below. Photo by Phil Ziegler

​“Bread baking has become an empowering and meditative act,” wrote Katharine Gammon in the Guardian article “Kneeding to relax? How coronavirus prompted a surge in stress baking.”

I started baking in earnest a few days after the start of lockdown, when our last loaf was gone and I wanted to dissuade Rich from risking his life venturing out in search of an open panadería. Being lazy and lacking yeast, I sought out an Irish soda bread recipe, finding one with such good texture and flavor it’s become a mainstay. My friend Phil has spent the pandemic perfecting his sourdough bread; I haven’t had the pleasure of tasting it yet, but it’s already legendary. My brother-in-law Jeff’s olive bread, left as a welcome gift on our return to California, was absolute nirvana.
 
(Find links to all three bread recipes below.)
 
On lockdown in Spain, Rich and I spent countless hours researching recipes and now we’re both hooked on experimenting in the kitchen. Last night was one of my best efforts: a Greek version of meatloaf. Is that brilliant or what? You stuff ground turkey with spinach and feta (since I was out of that, I used herbed goat cheese) and drizzle it with tzatziki sauce made from Greek yogurt and the fresh herbs we just bought. The only disappointment? A serious lack of leftovers. Another hot favorite this week was Easy Baked Tilapia topped with lemon-parmesan breadcrumbs.

Tilapia recipe / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
One of the quickest and easiest recipes I've found, this tilapia dish is great for nights I'm too frazzled and distracted to concentrate on anything fancy.

I used to love gathering over meals with friends and family, but now that’s not possible or wise, so we’re connecting online in all-new ways. Last week, Rich invited old Navy buddies to a dive bar Zoom party, where each of us created the atmosphere of a funky tavern, donning various suitably goofy accoutrements such as Dave’s Bud Light Stetson and Jill’s hot pink wig. This week we have the Marble Olympics; with bets (benefitting charity) placed with my brother and his wife, the excitement is really mounting.


Such entertainments may seem trivial, but they’re what explorer Earnest Shackleton used to keep his men alive and sane when their ship was crushed by ice and the crew was trapped on Antarctica for 2 years and 22 days. He organized weekly concerts, soccer and hockey matches, sled dog races, singing competitions, and skits. On one occasion he danced for them; on another, they all shaved their heads for a lark. As one book on Shackleton’s leadership put it, “All of these rituals and celebrations gave the crew a comforting sense of normalcy in a situation that was anything but normal.” Sound familiar?
 
Establishing a sense of normalcy doesn’t mean casting precautions — or face masks — to the wind and acting like the pandemic is over. In fact, we need to be extra alert now. Seventy-five percent of all mountaineering accidents happen on the way down, when the initial resolve and first giddy thrill of survival have passed, and climbers are tired enough to slack off on their vigilance.

People have survived far worse than this pandemic. Every one of Shackleton’s crew made it safely back to England, and chances are you’ll get through this challenge, too. As I learned in Organ Cave, sometimes all it takes is fresh perspective to realize you’re already on solid footing. “Get yourself grounded,” said outdoors writer Steve Goodier, “and you can navigate even the stormiest roads in peace.”

Shackleton's library / Dive Bar Zoom Party / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
Earnest Shackleton loaned the men books from his private library on Endurance. A recent restoration made it possible to read the titles for the first time; you can see the complete list here. It made me wonder: What books would I have picked? Which ones would you pack?

​YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY
World's Best Irish Soda Bread /  Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
MY IRISH SODA BREAD RECIPE
Phil's Amazing Sourdough Recipe /  Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
PHIL'S SOURDOUGH RECIPE
Jeff's Olive Bread Recipe  / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
JEFF'S OLIVE BREAD RECIPE
What is a dive bar/ / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
WHAT IS A DIVE BAR?
Surviving Catastrophes / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
SURVIVING WORST-CASE SCENARIOS
Quarantine Cuisine / Surviving the Pandemic / Keep Going! / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
QUARANTINE CUISINE RECIPES
12 Comments
Marjan
6/18/2020 06:02:50 pm

I like the notion of keeping off autopilot! It's so easy to fall into autopilot on the phone and the computer.

Reply
Karen McCann
6/19/2020 02:20:55 am

Very easy indeed, Marjan. Spending vast amounts of time staring at screens can't be good for us, and I know puts me on autopilot sometimes. Baking is one of those activities that gets me totally engaged. Having screwed up several bread recipes, at a time when flour was precious and hard to come by, really sharpened my focus!

Reply
Tobey Hiller
6/18/2020 08:54:47 pm

Fantastic, Karen! I'll make sure Phil reads this!
And that tilapia dish looks yummy!
BTW, doing some Indivisible letter-writing today.
"See" you soon, I hope!
Tobey

Reply
Karen McCann
6/19/2020 02:23:28 am

Phil has already written to promise me some sourdough bread the next time we manage to meet up IRL (in real life). That's an offer I can't refuse! And yes, the tilapia was a great find; let me know if you try it. Good luck with your letter writing; glad you're staying engaged in the process.

Reply
Jackie Smith link
6/19/2020 06:28:09 am

Your post goes under the column, why we need to cancel our late August trip back to America. . .the debate, 'should we or shouldn't we' continues with cancelling the trip a high probability. We've enjoyed dinner with friends here, spent time at tavernas enjoying the views and have even gotten in a road trip with more planned. . .night and day different than the home of our roots. Sigh.

Reply
Karen McCann
6/24/2020 01:40:20 am

Jackie, I can see why you're considering cancelling your trip back to America. It's a bit nuts these days, and the COVID-19 numbers (including here in California) are spiking, although I'm lucky that my area seems to be OK. And how's this for skewed priorities: hairdressers are still closed in my region. Rumor has it they'll open around July 1. Rich and I have been trimming each other's hair, and he's done surprisingly well at the task, but I will be glad to place myself in the hands of a professional once more. I remember you wrote me — was it six weeks ago? When you finally got back to your salon. Deeply envious, my friend.

Reply
Beverly Schrenger
6/20/2020 08:07:49 am

At the end of June we are re-entering US after sheltering in Vienna, Austria for the last 4 months (and 5 years of home-free, blissful travel). News from America looks bleak. Thank you for helping us to keep positive attitudes as we go forward. I love the key elements of a happy life!

Reply
Karen McCann
6/24/2020 01:43:46 am

Best of luck to you, Beverly, with your re-entry into the US. It's a different world than Europe, as I'm sure you know. Here there's lots of confusion, strife, and chaos, and lots of regions are experiencing a sharp increase in coronavirus cases. All we can do is work to stay safe and keep positive; those five elements of a happy life are such a good reminder of how to do that. Stay strong and stay safe!

Reply
Kitty
6/21/2020 02:23:03 am

I lost my Comments or maybe sent them? Thanks for the quotes and the recipes. I will make the turkey soon. You lifted my spirits for sure. You two are so creative. While you were still in Spain yeast was almost as hard to get as toilet paper. The Dive Bar, Casino reopened in Bodega. Evelyn 93, the owner was bar tending the other night. We are not ready to go there yet but they do have a patio so maybe we can meet sometime. You can come to BB too. We have a tiny cottage next to our small cottage. We are planning trips to the Glass Beach and Gardens by the Sea, later on Pt. Reyes and Marshall Store. Airhugs!

Reply
Karen McCann
6/24/2020 01:47:01 am

Kitty, I heard about the yeast shortages in the US, and we had the same thing in Spain. Very frustrating! Thank heavens for Iris soda bread to fill the gap. You'll love the Greek turkey meat loaf recipe. It's not as pretty as many of my other dishes so I didn't take a photo, but Rich and I both can hardly wait until we make it again. As for your dive bar, I remember you telling me about Evelyn. I can't believe she's still tending bar at 93. God bless her! What an inspiration to us all.

Reply
Rebecca Fleenor-Berman
6/21/2020 06:42:17 am

Have you ever been to Van Kleefs Dive Bar in Oakland?

Reply
Karen McCann
6/24/2020 01:49:47 am

No, I've never been to Van Keef but the online photos look terrific. Next time I am in the East Bay I will most certainly check it out. The Yelp reviews are glowing and I've got a feeling it is my kind of dive bar. Thanks for the tip!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    PictureKaren McCann
    Welcome! 
    I'm an American travel writer based in Spain and currently living in California.

    As we journey through the pandemic together, my blog provides a regular supply of survival tips, comfort food recipes, and the wry humor we all need to lighten our hearts on dark days.  ​

    I think of my blog as an ongoing conversation, so please join in and leave comments at the end of my posts. 

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