Coronavirus has meant no concerts, movies, restaurant dining, vacations. Every day the death toll is higher than the day before. People are struggling to pay bills. New homeless camps go up every day. Guilt because I'm sad about the things I've lost when there are so many people who have things much worse.
I cry easily these days and feel completely at odds with myself.
Hoping that things start to get better.
Five or so years ago I was hired as a department manager at a new Walmart in town. As people do, I became friends with some of my coworkers; one of them was a man named Frank. We spent a lot of time BS'ing about whatever oddball thing either of us had on your mind. At one point I mentioned to Frank that he reminded me of Ed Robertson, from the band Barenaked Ladies. He responded, "Oh yeah, I love them!" and went on to tell me about the first time he ever heard them, and how he was instantly hooked by the song playing. I asked him which song he was referring to, expecting to hear him say One Week or Million Dollars or Its All Been Done or, you know, one of their hits from over the years. But no, the song that grabbed Frank was Tonight was the Night I Fell Asleep at the Wheel. Not at all what I expected. I've always remembered that conversation. Anyway, over time I ended up leaving Walmart for a different job (or 3) and no longer saw Frank, except for rare times when I ran into him at the store he still worked at.
Today I was pulling into the Walmart parking lot and saw Frank walking into the store. As soon as I saw him and thought to myself, "Hey, there's Frank!" a Barenaked Ladies song came on, with Ed Robertson as the lead singer. I don't know about other people, but these things happen to me all the time, and I always think how weird it is. Like, when I think of a song and it plays next on the radio. I don't know. Maybe it's just me.
