Good morning, March 18, 2020 How is the toilet paper holding up? The New York Times has some sobering news this morning. The story says that the U.S. virus program predicts a pandemic in 18 months and severe shortages. That took my breath away. Or was it the chest cold? It was Rudyard Kipling’s poem If that brought my attention. Particularly these lines: “If your heart, nerve, and sinew can be forced to serve your turn long before they’re gone, And so hold onto when you have nothing left except the Will which says to you: ‘Hold On!'” It’s unlikely that things will return to normal anytime soon. This is actually the new normal. If you are panicking now, you will run out of energy when you really need it. It’s similar to eating all the pandemic food you can find on your first day at work. You must also ration your energy. Flatten the curve. You can do your part to decrease the spread of social freaking out. Help those in need. Social distancing is a way to help our health system (and COVID-19) and others in need. Positive action is key. What does that mean? You should use your time and energy wisely. After four days of thought, I decided to fix every error I had seen on Facebook. I then started snoozing people who spread false information and conspiracies — we call it social media disconnection. In 30 days, I will see how they do. I didn’t want to spend my energy or time correcting people who were processing information differently. Instead, I will seek out positive and useful information. I will use the time in my room to do a few things (thankfully I can draw anywhere). My 19-year-old son, who is often wiser than me, came into my room and said that he would use this time to prepare for the next virus. Rudyard Kipling would be proud of this attitude. P.S. P.S. *********** The frontlines of the battle are bars, restaurants, theatres, and other places that we humans love to gather. This is a story I wrote the other day about a recent lunch that I had with a friend. A few weeks ago, we were having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. Manager asked me if the COVID-19 idea was true. I answered yes. Then, I stated that we all need to change our ways of doing things. I replied, “You’re surrounded by many houses full of hungry people.” Although they may not be able get to your restaurant, if you can get food to them, it will be possible.” This seems like a million-years ago. I hoped that I was wrong. Every day passes, and I feel like a freaking Nostradamus. Jeff Good made that pivot this morning. Here’s a screengrab from his Facebook page: It is time to eat. His employees must eat. This isn’t a ad for Jeffs restaurants. It’s an advertisement for all restaurants. Peggy Noonan, a former Reagan speechwriter, had an excellent idea that I shared a few days ago: Get a gift certificate from your favorite restaurant. Give them the cash they need. Jeff’s actions show that he is able to flatten the curve and do what he needs for survival. ********** The question of the day: How do you explain this to your children? My children are 19 and 17, respectively, and they are extremely knowledgeable about current events. However, I feel that it is our responsibility as parents to ensure they understand the context. These are some of the responses that I have received so far. David: You don’t have. They’re explaining it to me! Stacey: I remind him that everyone does their best to help others. That’s why we’re staying at home. He still needs to brush his teeth. Dominga: Dominga is my 10-year-old and 13-year-old son who are currently in another state on their long spring break. We are deciding whether to fly them home or not. They will be back in this week. We are all excited for their adventure but also concerned about their education and health.
Fortunately(? After a third week of spring break, their school has decided to go online. We remain positive and optimistic, reminding them to keep up their hygiene habits. We can keep our heads up and be calm. Clay: I’m sure they have been anticipating this day since we’ve seen so many zombie movies and shows. My daughter will point out a hilltop house to me and explain its strategic advantage to a group of zombies. Tanya: My 4-year-old granddaughter had to
For the first time in her entire life, she left her bear at home. Her mom explained to her that it was so bear didn’t get sick, and no one of her friends got sick. ?? Andy: She’s 22 years old and is independent, so she has a sense of humor and snark. Shannon: Although it’s difficult to keep ours separate, the children in our community have free time for theirs: they can play basketball, baseball, bike rides and take dips in the swimming pool. She is old enough to understand but it’s very sad. This is a normal that I don’t understand. I tell her that we are working together to figure it all out. It won’t be forever. In the meantime, there’s work to do.