In Plain View: COVID-19

First, breathe. Center yourself with a few breaths – in for four, hold for seven, exhale for eight.

You owe yourself a quiet moment.

Please breathe before you read this because if I’m writing it and publishing it, then please read it for what it is and not what you expect to read. Read it twice if needed.

Four… seven… eight… Four… seven… eight… Four… seven… eight…

You good? Okay, then proceed.

Sometimes I wonder if maybe I’m too all-zen-and-shit when I see so many Facebook posts with really, reeeeeally passionate voices on a matter. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the obvious hot button that people are allowing to trigger them. Yes. That’s what I said. Allowing oneself to be triggered. In other words, REACTING to a stimulus.

I promise you, I am concerned. We should all be concerned, but freaking the fuck out helps no one. Belittling others for freaking out helps no one. Calling each other names helps no one.

And before I go any further, THANK YOU to the healthcare professionals who are either working with patients or doing their best to help others understand and mitigate risks. Special thanks to the nurses who have helped me by either confirming or clarifying whatever I presented to them.

My biggest concern is my 83-year-old father. He’s my charge. Not only do I need to stay healthy so I can help him, but also I need to stay healthy so HE doesn’t get sick. I haven’t needed to modify what I normally do. I’m, like, reeeeeeally a little short of fanatical when it comes to washing my hands, using a paper towel to handle faucets and doors after I wash my hands, etc… Yeah, I want to avoid illnesses but usually my first half-joking thought is, “I wonder how much fecal matter or booger finger stuff is on this handle?” Clean hands is a year-round habit.

The new strain of human coronavirus isn’t just a wake-up call to how much we touch our eyes, mouths, or our own faces (or how much Joe Biden touches other people’s faces, haha) but also a good look at how we individually choose to react. It is entirely upon us as individuals to be responsible for how we react, as well as how we treat others for their choice in how to react. Or not react. Either way, if you feel so strongly that you have all the answers and can resolve the issues, I challenge you to drop what you’re doing, quit your job if you have one, and step up to do that. Not on your social media soapbox. Go and make a difference. Until then, maybe try to find a more constructive way to help yourself and others through this leg of the journey.

One of the things about which I’m most dismayed is the number of friends who contribute to misleading others by sharing links without stating their point in sharing it. A lot of the links use headlines that are too brief to give the full story, not to mention, depending on the source, it could have a political spin on it. (And for those who do include their own statement, THANK YOU!) I am guilty of just scroll-scroll-scrolling through a social media feed, but with so many coronavirus posts sharing headlines, it’s almost like flashing subliminal messages.

When you see headlines with the number of COVID-19-related deaths, do you stop there? Do you read the article? Do you seek more details, such as what are the number of cases? What are the age, gender, immune-system-wellness of those who died?

When you see an announcement for another closing or cancellation or postponement, do you ask why? Like, I don’t know, maybe this is a good way to slow down or possibly prevent further spread of the virus? Do you automatically criticize the leaders for their decision and call it “adding to the panic”? Do you applaud their timing? When I see the colleges shifting to remote/online classes after Spring Break, I think, “YES! Those young’uns risk more than picking up and spreading STDs.” 😉

When you hear that more cases have been confirmed, do you think about six degrees of separation? Do you know someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19? Friend of a friend? Acquaintance of a co-worker? Were you or someone in your main circle at a place where that now-confirmed cases have in common? What is your present actual risk at this moment?

When you read ANYTHING about COVID-19, are you looking through the veil of your political convictions? Do you already write it off as unworthy of reading because it’s from the opposite of your own view? Do you automatically decide it has to be accurate because it’s from your political party? Do you share posts as a way to build up or tear down politicians?

If you’re interested in following data (which is only as good as the sources providing it), visit Coronavirus Update (Live). I find it interesting and without a bunch of emotionally-charged words like personal posts or some news sources. (I use “news” so loosely.)

Did you look at this post and think, STFU because I used a picture of a tarot card, so there is no way I could possibly have anything of value to contribute to coronavirus discussions? If you did, but you made it this far in reading, thank you.

I use tarot and oracle cards for guidance, not fortune telling. Others use prayer; some people do nothing. To each his own. Sometimes I am so ADfuckingD that I need help focusing, centering, grounding. Today’s morning spread of five cards, The Awakening came up as the card for, “What do I need to hold space for today?” It has personal meaning for me, but I felt like others needed the message to “change the way you’re looking at the situation.”

I play a hidden objects game called June’s Journey. I play it when I need a little break between tasks. It’s kind of like a sorbet clearing my palate before the next course.

The objects, however, aren’t hidden. They’re all in plain view. “Hidden in plain sight.” Sometimes I need to change my perspective to find them. Foreground, midfield, background… Sometimes they’re blended and hard to see. Sometimes I don’t even know WTF an object is by the name they use – this game has improved my vocabulary, haha – so I either use process of elimination or the locator. Other times, it’s tricky when I’m looking for a “bow”. Is it a bow like a ribbon? Is it a bow like a bow and arrow? Is it a bow like the partner of a stringed instrument? Yes, yes, and yes. And if I have one bow in mind but am looking for another, I have a hell of a time finding it because I was trying to find what I wanted to see and not what was intended… even though it was right there where I could see it the whole time.

Please be safe for yourself, for your family, for others, for other people’s grandparents… Y’know? We’re all on this planet together. And may the odds be ever in your favor… KIDDING! LOL Seriously though, use reasonable caution.

AND WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS!

Luceat lux vestra.