Step Away from the Phone
I've been wasting a lot of time on social media lately. Too much time. I keep going back to it thinking there are bound to be some answers about all of this, but so far we're very short on real information. Where did the virus come from? What is going to happen? What is the next step? How concerned do we need to be and what steps do we need to take? There are no clear and satisfactory answers to any of these questions.
Many people I know are defaulting to the extreme; "everyone and everything is contaminated and we have to hunker down and bathe ourselves in bleach." We aren't being reckless; I'm glad we don't live in a cramped city, I wouldn't take public transportation for anything, and you couldn't get me near a hospital unless I were dying. I see the sense in limiting large gatherings at this time. What I cannot get my mind around is the people who are going beyond social distancing into total isolation when the CDC isn't even recommending that at this point. There's no reason for TRAILS to be shut down, for goodness sake. Some people are even terrified to get the mail or pick up packages.
I understand the vulnerable need to be especially cautious and applaud their efforts to do so. I just think the economic fallout will be less if those of us who are young and healthy can carry on somewhat to keep the economy moving and provide resources to those who are vulnerable. I don't think two or three weeks is even that horrible, but some people earnestly believe that this will last through the summer and perhaps into the fall.
What I'm hearing at this point is that we will all get Covid19 sooner or later. If they can stagger that a bit then we can at least keep the hospitals from overflowing. I get that and I think that's smart...but if we all hunker down at the same time and all jump back into society at the same time, I'm not sure how that will really work. There is no getting rid of this virus. It will be like a flu that is always around and which the vulnerable will always have to be concerned about. I'm fine with hunkering down for 2-3 weeks in the hopes that processes can be smoothed out and the virus can be better understood. If it truly does help reduce the spread, great. I'm just not optimistic that it will accomplish what they promise it will in such a short time and I think that we'll eventually have to go back to some semblance of normal and let the chips fall where they may.
Of course, I can only say that out loud to about 5 people in my life because few are mature enough to understand that a prediction isn't the same as a wish and many would think I'm being callous or cavalier. I'm neither. I'm just trying to see the big picture and the practicalities. I don't want to lose anyone I love. I don't want anyone to suffer or die needlessly. I just think that extreme social distancing and isolation for months on end will bring about major issues - health and otherwise, that have to be given the same weight and deference as the Covid health fears.
So, those are the things rattling around in my mind right now. It doesn't seem to matter how much I read or who I speak to - there's simply not enough information to truly know much of anything at this point - not that that in any way stops the peanut gallery from insisting upon this or that.
I'm grateful to be married to a man of faith who feels the same as I do about all of this and I'm grateful to have a few good friends and family members who are voices of calm and wisdom. Our boys are handling this like champs and I like to think it's because they take their cues from us and aren't panicked.
From now on, I'm going to strictly limit my time online. I've already snoozed several people for their hangdog posts and general panic-inducing posts. That helped a bit, but it's still such a time suck and it's keeping me from so many more important things.
I have so many things to bake, cook, create, write, and read. There are hundreds of places that are giving free online lessons or tours, it's mindblowing. There's more to do than can ever be done and I want to do as much as I can before real life starts back up!
Many people I know are defaulting to the extreme; "everyone and everything is contaminated and we have to hunker down and bathe ourselves in bleach." We aren't being reckless; I'm glad we don't live in a cramped city, I wouldn't take public transportation for anything, and you couldn't get me near a hospital unless I were dying. I see the sense in limiting large gatherings at this time. What I cannot get my mind around is the people who are going beyond social distancing into total isolation when the CDC isn't even recommending that at this point. There's no reason for TRAILS to be shut down, for goodness sake. Some people are even terrified to get the mail or pick up packages.
I understand the vulnerable need to be especially cautious and applaud their efforts to do so. I just think the economic fallout will be less if those of us who are young and healthy can carry on somewhat to keep the economy moving and provide resources to those who are vulnerable. I don't think two or three weeks is even that horrible, but some people earnestly believe that this will last through the summer and perhaps into the fall.
What I'm hearing at this point is that we will all get Covid19 sooner or later. If they can stagger that a bit then we can at least keep the hospitals from overflowing. I get that and I think that's smart...but if we all hunker down at the same time and all jump back into society at the same time, I'm not sure how that will really work. There is no getting rid of this virus. It will be like a flu that is always around and which the vulnerable will always have to be concerned about. I'm fine with hunkering down for 2-3 weeks in the hopes that processes can be smoothed out and the virus can be better understood. If it truly does help reduce the spread, great. I'm just not optimistic that it will accomplish what they promise it will in such a short time and I think that we'll eventually have to go back to some semblance of normal and let the chips fall where they may.
Of course, I can only say that out loud to about 5 people in my life because few are mature enough to understand that a prediction isn't the same as a wish and many would think I'm being callous or cavalier. I'm neither. I'm just trying to see the big picture and the practicalities. I don't want to lose anyone I love. I don't want anyone to suffer or die needlessly. I just think that extreme social distancing and isolation for months on end will bring about major issues - health and otherwise, that have to be given the same weight and deference as the Covid health fears.
So, those are the things rattling around in my mind right now. It doesn't seem to matter how much I read or who I speak to - there's simply not enough information to truly know much of anything at this point - not that that in any way stops the peanut gallery from insisting upon this or that.
I'm grateful to be married to a man of faith who feels the same as I do about all of this and I'm grateful to have a few good friends and family members who are voices of calm and wisdom. Our boys are handling this like champs and I like to think it's because they take their cues from us and aren't panicked.
From now on, I'm going to strictly limit my time online. I've already snoozed several people for their hangdog posts and general panic-inducing posts. That helped a bit, but it's still such a time suck and it's keeping me from so many more important things.
I have so many things to bake, cook, create, write, and read. There are hundreds of places that are giving free online lessons or tours, it's mindblowing. There's more to do than can ever be done and I want to do as much as I can before real life starts back up!
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