When The World Stopped Turning
Good morning friends. 6:30 in the morning CDT and I've been lurking around my house for the past couple of hours. A new habit of mine that presents itself during nights at random... And I have to admit...I kind of love it.
Before anybody assumes I've completely gone mad, it's probably just a phase. Anyways, so much to do, so little time. My body was so much angst but instead of allowing those bitchy jittery feelings pulse through my horizontal being, I got up and began trudging around the house catching up on laundry, freelance projects, sorting out my pantry, cleaning out the fridge, pending to-do's and yes, this blog.
As the rest of the world is shaken by the devastating effects of COVID-19, where everybody else is scared and worried about where we will all be after all this...when this is all done, it suddenly occurred to me that just like everybody else, I am scared. I am worried. Not just for myself but for my family and the people I love. I have not really experienced all day 24/7 quarantine because by the grace of God, I still have my job. I'm a nurse and I work in the healthcare industry so I am considered an "essential worker" and so is my husband. So between work and home, that's pretty much how our worlds have been revolving at these days. Only leaving our house when we have to go to work, grab some groceries, see our doctors for appointments and occasionally walk our dog. Is this our new normal? Will this ever end? Will we all ever go back to normal? Pre- COVID. Back when we can shake people hands or hug our loved ones when we see them? Back when we can go out and eat at our favorite restaurants and enjoy a stroll in the park?
It is the unexpected that changes our lives in more ways than one and we don't exactly see it until we are in the middle of it. I have no idea how our lives will be impacted by this other than the limited activities that we have been doing, the social distancing,stress and anxiety it has brought us and the worry of how we can all come out of this financially, emotionally and mentally. Just a month ago, our lives were predictable with a simple daily routine (and maybe the occasional outburst of randomness that I get), work and activities and trips we were looking forward to..and corona virus was just something we heard in the news. Now all that's left is uncertainty and the unexpected.
The world suddenly seemed to stop revolving.
The world suddenly seemed to be on pause.
There's only uncertainty.
In the midst of the fear, worry, and uncertainty surrounding the corona virus pandemic, each day seems to bring news that’s worse than the day before.
The cause for concern is justified. But, as in most major disasters, tragedies, and public health threats, there are reasons for hope, and even optimism. They may be hard to see, even if you’re a “cup-half-full” or “it could always be worse” type of person. But they are there. It's when you hear people helping each other out when you feel that there is hope for humanity. When the neighbors offer to grab groceries for the older couple living next door because they can't go out and expose their vulnerability to the virus, or when families bring their kids to sing songs and cheer to the residents at the nursing home, the truck drivers that carry our goods to our local grocery stores, police officers, firefighters, ambulance crews, environmental service crews, care givers and support workers and definitely when the nurses, doctors, and other health care workers go to work everyday and serve as front liners in the battle against this deadly disease - there is hope.
There are innumerable stories of people helping each other out.
There is hope. There is a future.
The bottom line
Make no mistake: the new coronavirus epidemic is a big problem that’s expected to become bigger in the weeks and months to come. For those who are infected as well as those trying to avoid infection, these are trying times. But amid all the doom and gloom, there are some positive stories, positive messages and reasons to remain hopeful.
At a time when the world is so politically divided, we can also hope that this threat brings us together in ways that help us to better recognize commonalities: we’re all human, we get sick, and we worry about loved ones. As social creatures, we try to help one another when bad things happen. If that happens, it would be good news that could not have been foreseen before the pandemic.
Do your part.
Stay at home, practice social distancing, take care of your selves.
Think of it as a massive cooperation towards the benefit of a collective whole. This too shall pass.
XOXO,
Karen