Diana’s Corner Reflections on the Corona Virus
Diana’s Corner Reflections on the Corona VirusBy Diana Bilezikian
This whole corona virus crisis started as of the middle of March. A bat gave the corona virus to a small animal that gave it to a person who gave it to another person and on and on and on so that this virus bothered the whole world. Oh My!
Of course, some public stores have been open, but not with everything in them (for instance, sometimes, no toilet paper) and some essential restaurants are only doing take-outs while open. Lena’s Café, one of my nice favorite public restaurants on Whalley Avenue is closed; SoHo Hair Salon is closed; some places that sell nice greeting cards on Whalley Avenue are closed; the Webster Bank is only helping customers in their drive- up window but you can also walk up to it even if you don’t have a car; the Webster Bank lobby is closed; the post office is sometimes limited only to three customers at a time; the Orange Christmas Trees Shops is closed; the arts and crafts stores where I like to get my knitting wool for knitting are closed; the fitness centers for working out are closed; clothing department stores are closed; libraries are closed; churches are closed; schools are closed; Chapel Haven is closed.
Sometimes public transportation doesn’t even run; movie theaters are closed; the Shubert Theater is closed; the Milford Mall is closed; bowling alleys are closed; workplaces are closed; Tyco Printing where I like to get my paid bills, benefit records, and bank statements photocopied- well, that, too is closed. Flower shops are closed.
I could surely go on forever, but you see my main general point is that practically everything is closed or at least limited because of this corona virus crisis, from middle of March, all through March, all through April, and through most of May.
Good news, though, at the end of May, some shops are open, the Orange Christmas Tree Shops is open and hair salons will start opening up again in Connecticut on June 1. Soon lots of stores will reopen but some will not, ever again. So sad. We are learning new things all the time; proper anti-corona virus hygiene, washing our hands a lot; using a face mask when outside; proper distancing.
Everything is changed. We are adjusting to a new life and we will.
Diana Bilezikian
Chapel Haven Schleifer Center
May 21, 2020
About Diana: Diana Bilezikian is from Scarsdale, NY and is a Chapel Haven graduate who lives in our community independently. She is a published author whose book, “Dear Diana … Diana’s Guide to Independent Living” (AAPC Publishing, 2014) is a staple at autism and disability conferences worldwide. Diana is also an affiliate faculty member for the Developmental Models of Autism Intervention, or DMAI, at Montclair State University, where she lectures regularly, accompanied by Chapel Haven Schleifer Center President Michael Storz. Read more about that here: http://wiredjersey.com/making-a-mountain-of-a-molehill/
To order the book, go to: https://www.aapcpublishing.com/ or you can order the book on Amazon
