Tuesday, March 31, 2020

I crouch close to the ground to read another sign, posted on a gate, drawn by another child. Surrounding a black and yellow blur that may either be a smiley face or the sun, large letters read “This too shall pass.” Closer to work, I see books abandoned on the street. A haphazard group of texts in Hebrew and, I think, Dutch are stacked on a bench. Nearby, on a low wall surrounding a communal trash area, someone has left a handsome multi-volume bible, profusely illustrated with a commentary by someone whose name I don’t recognize. Some volumes have fallen into the pile of empty boxes and broken furniture next to them. It’s rare to see bibles in or near the trash. There are traditions about dealing with and discarding them. I don’t rescue the books, but hope that someone else will. At work, we’re told that each of us will have to submit a document each morning stating their temperature and that they haven’t tested positive. The Ministry of Health tells us that we all should wear some sort of mask when going out. Most masks don’t do much, but they’re better than nothing. Our bosses handed them out last week, one to each worker. I’ve had mine in the pocket of my hoodie ever since. I put it on for the first time as I head out of the office. I feel conspicuous, but see that about half the people on the street are wearing them. On the way home, I listen to two episodes of my favorite podcast for learning Hebrew. The host, traveling the world, is quarantined in Shanghai and recording the show in his hotel. The key words for these episodes are “thermometer” and “isolation.” Near the traffic circle, a couple passes me, silently chatting in sign language. Their hands, in bright blue gloves, fly in rapid formations in front of their black t-shirts and white masks. When I get home, I have more trouble than I expect trying to untie my mask. My hair is tangled in the strings. I had been meaning to get a haircut about a month ago, but waited too long. All the barber shops have shut down. I wonder how long my hair will get before they reopen. With all the other changes, we may be heading into a much shaggier world.