Sometimes, life seems like a series of hurdles, and this winter, a new, huge hurdle appeared out of nowhere, catching most of us by surprise and forcing us to re-evaluate our priorities.
I hope you and your loved ones are well. We don’t know what will happen in the coming days, and many of us are struggling to cope with the present. As some of you know, my husband, Mike, and I own a small lodge in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, Alaska, and a few days ago, the Governor, in effect, closed Alaska to visitors for at least the next month. I know he made the right decision. I am sure the coronavirus will eventually spread to all areas of the state, but we need to do everything we can to slow its rate of infection. Folks who don’t need to travel should stay home. Even though Mike and I feared the Governor might halt travel to Alaska, his mandate still hit hard, and we find ourselves trying to decide what to do to survive economically.
This is not the first time a national or world event has impacted us. The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and the 9-11 terrorist attack both nearly decimated tourism in Alaska. Economic downturns always hurt the travel industry, and during one of the many budget squabbles in the U.S. Congress, the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge closed, and we had to cancel goat hunts already in progress. The COVID-19 threat differs from previous disasters, though. During earlier crises, I focused my anger on one person or a group of people. Whether it was a drunk captain, deranged terrorists, or spoiled politicians, I could always picture the cause of our near-economic destruction.
Unfortunately, a pandemic is no one’s fault. We can’t blame anyone for the coronavirus. Our government could and should have acted faster, but even with the best response, a very infectious, novel virus is hard to stop. We have no idea when this virus will run its course, but until then, we remain at its mercy.
I find the economics of our situation disheartening and depressing, and I know the government won’t miraculously bail us out of our financial woes. Even in the past, when the government caused our economic problems, we never received assistance to help us rebound. I certainly don’t expect help this time, but I know we will be okay. We will jump over this hurdle. As long as our family, friends, and we stay healthy, all else becomes insignificant.
I thank the health care workers and first responders who are fighting on the front lines of this pandemic. They take incredible chances every day.
Stay well, and we will get over this hurdle, and hopefully, something good will come from the pain. As you can see from the photo, I have a beautiful place to self-isolate.
Join the Battle of the Books contest, and you could win a $500 Amazon Gift Card! I am very excited to have my novel, Karluk Bones, included in this contest.
Robin Barefield is the author of four Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, and The Fisherman’s Daughter, and Karluk Bones. You are invited to watch her webinar about how she became an author and why she writes Alaska wilderness mysteries. Also, sign up below to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska, and listen to her podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier.
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