The Coronacation Diaries, Episode 20

Ramblings About Sexy Frogs and Air Pollution and Hope

Michael and I went for a long walk around the lake tonight after dinner. It has been raining on and off all day and the resulting mix of dusk, mist, and fog cast a soft-focus haze over everything. It was almost surreal, the quiet. Over 5 miles, we saw maybe 10 cars, most of them pizza delivery. Instead of the bustle of business which would be the norm, there was silence. I could hear our footsteps as I walked down the center of the road, not needing to stick to the shoulder. I heard my own earrings jangling, a sound that must always be there, but that I never hear.

There were so many different birds calling, 10 or 20 or 30 different songs, like a band warming up before the concert, every instrument going its own direction, a jangle of sound. Underneath the soprano birds, the percussion of sexy frogs croaked their sexy frog croaks, luring the ladies over to the frog party. Fat squirrels stopped their pursuit and stared at us belligerently, as we trespassed in their world. A muskrat went about his business, traipsing through the marshy weeds and sliding into the water. 

We are used to so much noise and residual light that we rarely hear the songs in the silence. We are so persistently busy that we turn a blind eye to what is happening just beyond our smartphone screens. But take notice: In late January/early February Antarctica had a heatwave; recording a high temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The ice melt in Greenland is at the level projected to be a worst-case scenario in 2070. We are destroying our planet. 

Suddenly, we have been forced, through our own incompetence in handling a pandemic, into a weeks-long shelter-in-place to try to flatten the curve. And the sudden global shutdown from the Coronavirus has had a stunning and immediate effect: Satellite imagery shows a dramatic decline in pollution worldwide. The skies in California are blue again. The air quality in India has improved dramatically. There is less seismic activity reported globally. The water in the canals in Venice is suddenly clear. Goats are taking over the towns. 

I, for one, welcome our new goat overlords pic.twitter.com/Fk5x6XaCLM— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 30, 2020 

Will we learn anything from this epidemic and actually change our ways? Will we suddenly look up from our phones and realize that even simple changes can not only save lives, but save our planet? Will we stop moving long enough to listen, really listen to the birds and the frogs and each other?

My guess is no. We are too short-sighted and easily distracted and living for instant gratification as a human race to truly change.

But a girl can hope, as she walks around a lake in the dusk, listening to the sexy frogs croaking out their love songs in the mist.

A girl can hope.