I’m writing this on Sunday March 22. Everything has changed with increasing speed and uncertainty since about Wednesday the 11th. The culmination, for now apparently, has been that the State of New York ordered that 100% of employees of “non-essential” businesses are not allowed in their workplaces. Voluntary work at home was in place before that for industries that could accommodate it. If they (we) are working it must be from home. I haven’t kept track precisely of the social distancing measures that neighboring states are implementing, but from what I have seen reported, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut are keeping pace with each other in various ways.

A little over a week ago, on Saturday March 14th, I drove to Albany to meet with the Funk Foundation board. A beautiful sunny sky brought joy to my trip south. Our meeting ended ahead of schedule and we spent 15 or 20 minutes talking about the developing situation: of institutions closed or about to close for students or the public, of the likelihood of working from home, and of the emergence of the faux elbow bump. When I drove to Lake George later, following the path of the old Erie Canal to the ramp onto the Northway, the noon-time sun’s reflection from the Mohawk River gleamed silver and bright. The world turns without any interruption from humanity, although we are part of it. And painfully so with the emergence and spread of the new Coronavirus. In Lake George, devoted to a much-needed volunteer archaeology salvage project, my friends and I were adapting to the new rules of that Saturday afternoon. We tried out the elbow bump and sadly forsook the handshake as well as the shared treats that usually restore our energy at break time. It was BYOT. Bring your own treats. Not very good if you’re happy to grab a donut out of the communal box while giving away some chocolate chip cookies. The great shift on Sunday-Monday of this past week was that everyone in New York and much of the rest of the country who could work from home went home to work. The shock of Friday the 20th was that for many New Yorkers this became mandatory, if even possible. This order goes into effect today, Sunday the 22nd, at 8:00 PM.

Working from home is very doable for archaeologists writing proposals and reports. Also, it’s timely for archaeological entrepreneurs and managers to work on their businesses as well as in their businesses (as your business coach would advise if you have one). Moreover, for archaeologists and their colleagues in the earth and natural sciences, being in the field requires few adjustments if you are healthy (For example, archaeologists have always excelled at social distancing on Phase 1 surveys). Not standing too close and not commuting together in cars come to mind, as does more frequent hand-washing. Archaeologists who work on projects with health and safety plans in place are used to some similar precautions.

Meme posted in “You know you are an archaeologist…” Facebook group, 3/17/2020

Of course, continuing to do fieldwork assumes that you have fieldwork to do, or that you would be allowed to do it. Recently on social media regular employment in the time of Corona has been one of the great questions of uncertainty among field techs. I wish I could see far ahead enough in the future, dear friends, to say more about this that would bring hope to our hearts. I wish us all a very good year, but most of all a safe year, and safety is taking precedence at the moment. Another great concern has been: What safety measures are appropriate as people band together in field crews or find lodging away from home? I have to assume that project managers are thinking about this.

From what I can see from following social media, government-promulgated social distancing rules involving the privilege of going to work may vary from state to state. My impression is that in New York State, archaeological firms and project managers are trying to interpret the rule and the exemptions and are on hold as we move into Monday to see how this sorts out with respect to fieldwork. There is a certain feeling expressed that if construction companies continue to work, archaeologists and other serving that industry should too. However, it appears that the only construction exempted at this time is for repairing infrastructure or building essential infrastructure.

At Curtin Archaeological we have a lot of artifact analysis and report writing to do. In the week just passed, we have had less office presence than would be usual. In general, work-places have been almost empty over the last several days, definitely reducing the chance of spreading coronavirus. It’s been voluntary “social distancing” until now. As I proceed through my work-day, and this is happening every day now, I receive blanket emails from my clients speaking about safety in the time of coronavirus, and at the same time noting that we, whether subconsultants or clients, can still reach them by email or cell phone as they continue to work, but from home. This is my situation as well. I am still working, working very hard in fact, and I am easily reachable by email and cell phone. I am also checking my office land-line and snail-mail delivery at appropriate intervals. I am in touch. Do not hesitate to reach out to me. My co-workers and I endeavor as always to be leaders in the field of cultural resource management archaeology in our region.

Working from home may not be easy at first and requires as much discipline as going to the office. A regular schedule is essential and should include getting up on time, getting dressed, eating, and exercising and/or meditating early and regularly. It seems ideal to do these things before work, or to eat, exercise or meditate during the same break-times you take in the work-place. If you mess this up, don’t let it get to you. Revisit or write out your schedule and go back to it.

Some of us value stress management during normal times and should continue to do so. It should remain (or can become) part of your daily schedule. Such things as breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, and regular exercise, as well as kindness, generosity, and forgiveness, are recommended for stress management by experts ranging from integrative medicine pioneer Dr. Andrew Weil to business guru Tom Peters. Peters was outspoken about the value to him of breathing exercises and speed-walking long before the corona crisis. He was kind enough to mention these practices during the financial crisis 10 years ago (in his book Little Big Things). Weil advocates a wide range of behaviors for stress management, breathing exercises as well as other things we may have more time to enjoy without a commute: music, flowers, art, and nature. In her book Thrive, written in part to moderate the unhealthy effects of work in the workplace as we knew it, Ariana Huffington extols the value of getting enough sleep, starting (or continuing) a meditation practice, and finding times and types of occasions to disconnect from devices. Unplugging for a while brings the mind some quiet. Similarly, because broadcast and internet news are stressful, Weil recommends “news fasts” such as turning the news off for a day (It would perhaps be unwise in current circumstances to take a longer break). You also can just be more selective about when and what you watch (You may be seeing advice similar to this in social media posts on the problems of isolation, stress and anxiety during the pandemic). While these authors were concerned with work stress and other sources of stress before the time of Corona, their guidance seems as important now that we are at home as when we daily found ourselves in the pack merging into the fast lane of the rat race.

Recently I heard that an anthropologist has cautioned that the social distance regime may have unhealthy psychological effects. As an anthropologist I get this at a basic level. Social contact supports us. It’s a cultural universal. In order to muster hope in scary times it is good to stay aware that the increased social isolation required now will pass when the Corona virus threat eventually passes. And pass it will. In the spirit of hope I leave you with this, a normal day-dream, inspired by my halcyon days as a student in Binghamton:

A favorite old bar is your mind’s destination- Its sign, its door, glad voices, your imagination, But if tired memory doesn’t remember it just right, Recall the soft rainfall of a warm summer night.