The hearts of Cedar Rapids

Hearts are appearing in windows around town. Perhaps you're seeing the same in your town. This seems to be a project recommended for children whose schools have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though I've also seen hearts in windows of houses of families without children. (We, empty-nesters, have a couple in our front window.) It is a great way to extend greetings across the physical distancing this pandemic has required, as more people are walking around the neighborhood.

In other good news, my wife Jane found toilet paper available during a routine visit to the grocery store this week, which is a sign the hoarding phase is over. On the other hand, we were unable to find baking powder, dental floss, or filo dough, so maybe those in toilet paper-stuffed residences have been forced to turn to hoarding smaller items.

This is not to say all is sweetness and light here. On our walk last evening, we encountered a man berating the elderly couple next door because there was a dirt pile in their front yard from a construction project. He used the phrase "World War III" several times. Earlier this week there was a shooting incident during a (very unauthorized) gathering of youths in nearby Bever Park. While a Cedar Rapids Gazette canvass of police logs from late March shows no change in service calls from previous years and a decline in arrests, nerves are definitely showing signs of fraying.

Nevertheless, the hearts in the windows are a strong sign that community impulses persist, even when it's extremely difficult to practice community, which of course is when its most needed.