GUEST BLOG: CATALYST 317

Tales from The COVID Quarantine 

What a
crazy time. I’ve thought about a million more elaborate or articulate ways to
address our current state of affairs, but that’s all I’ve got. What a crazy
time. Disney World is closed. March Madness didn’t happen. I just got done
watching professional athletes play video games on live television. The Month
of May is just a few days away, and for the first time in a generation, that
doesn’t come with the promise of IndyCars ripping around the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.

Crazy
times. 

Yes, COVID-19
has made an indelible mark around the world – it’s attacked our health, our economy
and stripped us of the normalcy that has defined our way of life. It hit the motorsports
community hard last week with the passing of Bob Lazier – a former IndyCar
driver who, you could argue, was one of the kindest and most perennially upbeat
people in the entire paddock. This threat is formidable and, to put it into
fancy medical terms: It sucks. But, we need to remind ourselves that this virus
is not going to win. Let me tell you something: And it may be hard to believe
this if you read social media all day, but the human race is actually pretty
awesome. History has proven that we’re always game for a fight – and we have an
innate ability to rise to the occasion when shit hits the fan. Sure, COVID may
have come out of the gate strong, but this is a long game. And we’re going to
win. 

In
Quarantine: A
Low Moment

This
is so bad and so embarrassing I have to share it. Mainly because it speaks to
the craziness of this situation, but also just because it’s so awful I have to
get it off my chest: Last week my wife and I had a serious discussion about
having McDonald’s delivered to our house. It was early in the morning. We were tired
and hungry. Neither of us had coffee yet, which in retrospect may explain why
we weren’t thinking clearly. Regardless, it was a real discussion that lasted
longer than I care to admit. Bottom Line: We didn’t do it. Sanity prevailed. I
swear. Chalk it up as a big win for common sense and self-respect. But the
discussion, for a moment at least, was serious. Crazy times. *Please consider
this a formal public apology to my mother and father.

In
Quarantine: A
High Moment

I’m
absolutely loving all this time with my family. We all (most of the time anyway)
genuinely enjoy being together. I’m sure many people are like us: Quality time
like this is rare when our jobs are at full speed. In the racing business the
hours are long, weekends away are commonplace and – even when you’re not
traveling – you can sometimes become a stranger in your own home. So lately,
when I start to feel the angst of what’s going on in the world, or get pissy
that I can’t go into the office or because another project we had planned got
axed, I remember all those long trips away from home, the delayed and cancelled
flights, the missed birthdays and baseball games – all of it. So, please, take as
much time as you can to appreciate these moments. Because I have a feeling,
when things get back to normal – or as close to normal as they can – we’re
going to look back on all this time together a lot more fondly than we realize
now. 

Things
I Miss: Handshakes
& Hugs

I miss
so many things we can’t do right now. Going to restaurants was neat. Getting a
haircut was a pretty cool deal that I’d clearly taken for granted. Grabbing a
beer or seven at a bar with a few buddies. Watching actual real sporting events
on television. But as the days go by I find myself missing the simplicity of handshakes
and hugs. Sounds crazy, I’m sure – but I think about it all the time. I met my
new next-door neighbor a few days ago and we had a nice little chat – standing
what seemed like a mile away from each other and without a basic handshake.
What’s more neighborly and welcoming than shaking a dude’s hand? The whole
interaction felt woefully incomplete. Hugs, too. I miss hugs. I lost a lifelong
friend of mine a couple weeks ago very unexpectedly and, because of all this
madness, there wasn’t a funeral. I never thought a time would come in my life
where I desperately wanted to go to a funeral, but man – here we are.
What I wouldn’t give to share a round of hugs with all the people who would
have been in that room. Crazy times.  

An
Introvert: Reexamined

I’ve
grown into quite the introvert in my old age. In the last 15-ish years I’ve
gone from the “life of the party” to the dude that’s “always late to the party”
down to my current state of “the guy who gave us some B.S. excuse to skip the
party.” At the peak of my anti-social behavior I couldn’t have dreamt of
anything more enticing than the idea of having to stay at home for weeks on
end. But, in the last couple months I’ve had to reevaluate that lifestyle. For
real. I’ve never wanted to go to a social event and hang out with strangers so
bad in my entire life. I’m sure, once life goes back to normal, that sentiment will
wear off quick. But, nonetheless, I have developed a renewed appreciation for
the ability to go out, to meet people and otherwise be social. So, consider
this an official warning: I may be a psycho-extrovert-serial-hugger once we all
get let out of our cages. 

Let’s
stick together, guys. This is an unprecedently tough time personally and
economically for all of us. But, while under this threat, we’ve never been more
united: Rich and poor; young and old; black, white, green and pink – COVID
don’t care. And, like I said earlier, humanity is the weapon that’s going to
ensure we win this thing. Let’s follow the guidelines of medical professionals
so we can keep our families safe and beat this together. And, once we do, let’s
remember to appreciate the value of everything that has been stripped from us
now. From the most irreplaceable things like our health and livelihood – to the
simplicity of a handshake with a stranger.  

All
the best, 

Mike
Kitchel

Co-Owner

Catalyst
317