Shelter in Place, San Francisco, California
A few weeks ago, stepson Jack brought over this packet of seeds from the stash he’s using to start his first vegetable garden. He stayed well away from us on the back deck, setting the seeds down on the table between us. I let them sit there overnight, and then forgot about them as Jack called back to report COVID-19 symptoms were making him miserable, inaccessible, and feeling guilty that his restaurant had to scramble shifts to make up for a missing chef. I didn’t, in fact, have the heart to plant the seeds until a few day ago, when we got the all-clear that two consecutive tests were negative and he reported symptoms gone. I don’t really have room for a long and messy squash vine, but I have planted and will nurture the seeds in honor of Jack - his health and his gift - both tokens of hope for better days to come.
This morning, I learned that Jack’s restaurant is closing again tonight because the entire staff wants to be in a protest march down Mission Street. I am proud and I am impressed by their solidarity and resolve. Depending on their route and our energy, John and I may don our masks and walk down a few blocks to cheer as they go by.
I was told more than once this weekend by younger people I love that this current state is - all of it - the fault of my generation. Trying to put their disappointment into the context of America’s history and my own personal lifetime would sound defensive, but I do agree that our children have inherited a mess. Bottom line: this is a terrible time to come of age. ‘Never trust anyone over 30,’ was one of the slogans when John and I were marching together against the war in Vietnam. Upon reaching that milestone myself, I realized that - to some degree - the mistrust was justified. Life became or seemed, at least, more complicated. And though all of my boys are now beyond that particular 30-year marker too, I still believe that they, in this moment, will move us toward a better reckoning, a fairness that my generation was never able to achieve. Seeds of hope.