Tag Archives: Covid19

thoughts and a message of hope…from england

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I have been watching less and less of the news. It’s a repeating loop of Coronavirus on steroids. Often we are not learning anything new, it is just a constant repeating of the horror the world is going through. But I think the biggest problem I have with this whole global pandemic and how it affects us here in the U.S. is what comes out of the White House.

That man we call President is not Presidential. I was even reminded of that last night when I watched a PBS special on the Roosevelts.

A couple of weeks ago I called my mother and she shooed me off the phone almost immediately. “The President is speaking . I can’t talk now.” But honestly, what is he saying? He spent weeks not really taking this whole #COVID-19 thing seriously. Then all of a sudden he says it’s a pandemic and he thought so all along. Then he works something in about campaigns and his administration. Then everything will be open by Easter, then everyone wear masks but he won’t. Then he talks about how many people are going to die from this virus. Then he talks over the medical experts at his press conferences annoyed that people are asking the actual medical professionals questions. “Didn’t I just answer that question?” (paraphrased) he angrily shot at a reporter who had recently directed a question to Dr. Anthony Fauci at a press conference.

We need a national leader about now. Trump isn’t leading. He’s an angry man child embodiment of chronic contradictions and a stunning lack of compassion and that brings no comfort. It makes me anxious. At first I was trying to watch the news conferences from Washington to look for information and leadership in a time of crisis. Coronavirus-time IS like war-time and we need a leader who gets it, who gets us as Americans. Not a quasi-dictatorial narcissistic man child who still blows up Twitter daily with his petty bulltwaddle and spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Dude all of your Tweeting is bad for America.

And then there are people with their Marie Antoinette attitudes of let them eat cake. Like the guy in North Jersey who defied stay at home and social distancing orders and threw a giant Coronavirus booze fest party. He’s apparently now being charged for doing so. Good. And don’t forget the kids in the Pittsburgh area who had to have a giant blowout and where are their parents?

But it is because of all of this swirling crap that I have taken to tuning out the news and staying put and working in the garden more. Whether we want to or not, the fates have decided we are slowing down.

But there is one leader who may God bless and keep her who is truly leading. Queen Elizabeth II of England. She gave her subjects comfort and hope in a time of crisis. She also gave the rest of the world comfort and hope. No angry tweeting about fake news and newspapers that have done her wrong. Talking to the people and offering support and comfort.

BBC News: Coronavirus: The Queen’s message seen by 24 million

About 24 million TV viewers watched the Queen’s broadcast to the nation on Sunday, according to overnight figures.

In a rare speech, the monarch thanked people for following government rules to stay at home and praised those “coming together to help others”.

The message was seen by 23.97 million viewers, making it the second most-watched broadcast this year….It was only the fifth time the Queen has given such a speech in her 68-year reign.

Her most recent Christmas Day message drew a combined overnight audience of 7.85 million.

In her speech on Sunday, the Queen said the UK “will succeed” in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

She thanked people for following government rules to stay inside and paid tribute to key workers for their efforts.

Speaking from Windsor Castle, the Queen said the pandemic was a “different” challenge compared to what the nation had faced before.

The message ended with the words “we will meet again” – an apparent reference to Dame Vera Lynn’s bolstering war anthem We’ll Meet Again.

The Queen’s four other special addresses were given in 1991, 1997, 2002 and 2012.

It was truly a beautiful thing to listen to her speak in this time. Say what you want about her and sometimes people criticize Queen Elizabeth but she knows how to lead in times of crisis. And it was just so good to hear a message that was realistic yet not full of gloom and doom. It was also good to hear a message that wasn’t all about them. 

We will get through this. And it will take its toll. I hope we all get through unscathed but really it’s beyond our control at this point. We can only do our part and stay home. And if you have extra supplies to donate to first responders contact your local firehouse or hospital.

This weird time is giving us time to meaningfully connect with each other if we can stop and see the good in that. I also know it’s frustrating and scary. It makes you nervous. Trust me, I have felt all of those things. Especially because of the bombardment of so much news and the contradictory behavior coming out of Washington D.C.

One day at a time I think is the only way to handle the hot mess of Coronavirus. Yes much like a 12 step program, one day at a time. I will close with a quote from Teddy Roosevelt:

Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big.

#StayHome

sometimes people should just stop picking at other people. this is one of those times.

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I swear there is a meme for everything and this one is pretty much perfect. Why am I posting this? Because some people just floor me on social media. Facebook especially.

Backstory: a few years ago when I had my first knee surgery, I was literally just home from the hospital and practically still drooling from the anesthesia. Sitting in a daze in bed, I was mindlessly looking through social media on my tablet. I noticed this one woman posting comments on my Facebook timeline that I just didn’t want to deal with. So I didn’t say anything, I just deleted the comments. After all, your personal Facebook page is like your virtual house, right?

So the woman whose comment I had removed posted another comment in the same vein. There I was practically drooling like you can do after surgery and anesthesia and I wondered what alternate reality I was living in that this woman wouldn’t just get I probably didn’t want to deal with this? I made a decision. I deleted the new comment and quietly unfriended the woman and went to sleep.

Unfriending this person was not something I wanted to do. But when I was still sitting in bed the next day scrolling through Facebook still somewhat dazed post surgery, I knew it was the right decision. Why? Because she took the argument of the deleted comments and moved them essentially to another woman’s Facebook page (whom I also knew – ironically I introduced them to one and other) and sat there talking about me like I couldn’t see it. Kind of like they were talking on the phone only it was all playing out on Facebook. It was crazy and I decided, sanity and maturity should prevail, and I just blocked both of them so I wouldn’t have to see their online brand of crazy in the future.

Still part of me felt bad. I had known the one woman for many years. But knowing her was sometimes exhausting. The other woman was always just kind of sad always striving to belong. Also exhausting. I sent both women a note explaining why I had decided to distance. I figured I’d make one last attempt at salvaging the relationships. I explained to them I just had surgery and I didn’t want to deal with any of this right now. But if they wanted to talk about it, explain what they didn’t understand, and I would try to listen. Need list to say, that didn’t happen never heard from either, and I went on about my life. I wish I could say I missed either woman, but I don’t.

I especially don’t miss people who act like this while experiencing a global pandemic. Life is kind of stressful enough right now. What I didn’t expect was that they would do this again to someone else. I sadly thought this behavior was because of me. But it’s just them.

A very nice woman who is a very close friend has literally just had a similar experience with these two over the past couple of days. My friend had posted on HER Facebook timeline that it really bothered her that people including the President keep referring to COVID19 as the “Chinese Virus.” She said she found it offensive. In my opinion she’s not wrong.

Now you would think that would have been the end of it. But sadly no, the other woman I had removed from my circle of friends a few years ago for chiming in where it wasn’t her concern did so again. Seriously:

So my friend unfriended and blocked the other one too. I truly am stunned at how pig ignorant people can be. It’s like these women have this whole tag team of nastiness, which is truly sad.   I wonder if either one of them gets it yet that more and more people distance themselves from these two all of the time. They are having social distancing practiced on them as a matter of keeping one’s sanity.

My friend wasn’t “slamming” the President. She was specifically referring to a term in this whole coronavirus world we live in that she found offensive. 

Given the times we currently live in and everything that everyone is going through, wouldn’t you think that these two women would have better things to do than to argue and spread vitriol? What do they gain with these little Facebook games?

I am really sorry that this happened to my friend too. I remember how upsetting I found it briefly at the time. It’s like this whole sense of betrayal when people are so nasty. Then you realize no one is worth that crap.

Look, OK, we probably all have a more than small dose of cabin fever at this point. We are living our lives in a way we’ve never had to live them before. But when I look at what those who live through World War II have to say it just sort of gives you a whole new perspective.

I can’t make people be kinder to one another. And I’m sure some will have comments about what I have written today. It’s just one of the many things I am thinking about because face it, we all have so much time to think right now. And perhaps that is part of the problem. I don’t think some people are comfortable with their thoughts.

But I don’t understand with all that we have to deal with why these two women persist in doing this? All they are doing is isolating themselves further from people within their community and showing the world how unhappy they are. And that’s the thing that we are also discovering through all of this staying at home and self isolation: we are not islands unto ourselves after all. Humans need human contact and community, and it takes a global pandemic to realize it. So try being nicer, right?

I have always maintained that social media is both a blessing and a curse. It would be nice if right now with our every day lives up-ended indefinitely if we could try to make it more of a blessing than a curse.

If something annoys you or you don’t agree with it, you don’t have to leave a comment every time. Sometimes you can just scroll past it. That way people don’t fight and friendships remain intact during a very difficult time.

Try to be kind today.


sign o’ the times: curbside pick-up and contactless delivery

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Malvern Pizza: Curbside and Contactless #shoplocal

haters gonna hate

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Haters gonna hate COVID19 shaming style

Hey Taylor Swift you are so right, haters are gonna hate. And when I agreed to be interviewed by Bill Rettew for The Daily Local this was one of the things that I told him often happened to bloggers. No not mommy bloggers who write about Disney or who are compensated bloggers for pimping out products in exchange for compensation, or bloggers who stick to sharing about gardening, crafts, cooking, i.e. safe topics. I mean bloggers like me who tackle local issues, current events, and even politics.

As long as I color inside the lines, I am good. But the minute I am vocal about things that concern me, or even current events including the COVID-19/coronavirus, I am somehow a bad person, someone who must be targeted, disciplined, called out. According to these people who do these things you aren’t supposed to speak, you definitely aren’t supposed to care about your community or the greater good.

The reporter had wanted to talk to me because before Coronavirus full onset had happened and it was essentially a news topic because it was happening overseas, I went to a horticultural event that ended up having Chester County’s 2nd coronavirus victim also in attendance. Public health reports on this person, a man much younger than I came out a week after the event, just as we were all getting glimpses of what is now our new normal. The reports stated he had mild symptoms and was at home.

I stated all along and it’s true, that when I got to this event which had been going since early in the morning that Saturday it was close to their ending time. I went to see a specific plant vendor and to buy a book. There weren’t many people there in that part of the event. There were a lot of people in the actual meeting house across the way, but I did not have tickets for those talks and wasn’t in that building at all.

I was in and out in a short amount of time and went home. Yes, I was less than happy when I found out I was at an event with someone who tested positive. But I did and my family did exactly as we were told to do by my doctors at Penn Medicine AND the county. We took the most conservative approach. I was NON symptomatic. We all were. It meant NO symptoms. NO fever. NO cough. NON SYMPTOMATIC .

Today I am off self-quarantine. Yesterday after 5 PM my lovely husband went to the CVS drive thru to pick up my cancer and thyroid meds we could not get for days because of self-quarantine. Medicine that is not an option for me and I was running out. If I can’t pick up the meds, he is the only other person as my spouse who can get them.

After he got my meds, he stopped at a local business that was essentially empty to pick up beer. A friend’s business that was closing last night until the governor says businesses which are non-essential can re-open. Social distancing was observed and paying by card he and the clerk at the counter had zero contact.

My husband came home and literally wiped down the whole inside of the car, everything he bought home and washed his hands. We had dinner.

Then the comment appeared as captured above by a screenshot. Oh goody, a stalker. You will note the made up profile name. Before I blocked and reported them, I looked at the profile. Nothing real about it. Just someone looking for an A-Ha moment to get at me. And how creepy was it they were ummm seeming to follow my husband around? It makes you wonder if they drive up and down your street too and go through your trash, doesn’t it?

People sometimes disgust me and this is one of those moments. They would not target a traditional journalist or writer like this, just me as a blogger. The point of transparency and education since I decided to talk about this first on my blog and then to a reporter escapes them. They just wanted to get at me, shame me.

But what did this person do instead when they chose to do this? They actually discouraged other people from coming forward to report they had been around someone who was exposed.

Think about it, I know I did the right thing by reporting that I had been at an event where a COVID19 victim was. The event did the right thing by telling us that poor person was in attendance, but if you hadn’t bought lecture tickets, they had no way of knowing specifically who was there. So how many people do you think who may have stopped at this event actually reported they were there like I did?

People are scared about this virus . I am scared about this virus. My one and only sister and one of my step-siblings live in New York City which was described as a virus epicenter with among the most victims in the US I think.

So shame on whomever this person is for rolling up with personal animus and misinformation. I will note they should be more concerned about the groups of kids and people still out there going around barriers to closed playgrounds and basketball courts because those groups of people in close contact like THAT? They are the ones who are going to spread the virus.

I am doing my part and so is my family. Instead of trying to stalk, harass, call out your friendly neighborhood blogger, why don’t you do your part and take care of your family?

I will note that the comments have since disappeared. I don’t know why or how or who. It’s just discouraging that even at times like this as people are trying to pull together and do the right thing, some people just suck.

mailbox eggs

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It’s the little things. It’s totally the little things that make every day easier to get through right now

One of my favorite neighbors checked in and asked if I would like some eggs. They have chickens that lay up a storm. I said yes if there were any left over I would love some eggs. Because eggs are one of those things that are in short supply in the grocery stores if you can find them at all.

One of my friends tried to get three dozen eggs at the grocery store today and was told by the store manager she could only have two dozen eggs. In her defense she has a bunch of kids, so three dozen eggs is the basically normal weekly get.

Anyway as I’m finishing up my self quarantine, my neighbor said he’d leave them in the mailbox. I saw my neighbor pull up and after he was gone I went out to get my mail and my mailbox eggs. And I swear my neighbors’ chickens lay the prettiest eggs. I am really honored to be among the neighbors who are beneficiaries of their hens.

But this is just one of the nice little things that people will do normally that mean so much more right now. I am blessed quite literally to have the neighbors I have. The other day one of my other neighbors was able to obtain a small container of disinfectant wipes for us. 

I just thought I would share that. I hope all of you are enjoying the warm weather this afternoon and got to soak up some sunshine.

living the covid19 life: sleepless nights

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Vintage pillowcase purchased at a store now part of a mandated non-essential closure , Magnolia Cottage Shop in Malvern/Frazer.

Sleepless nights in coronavirus land. I think we all are having them. Last night into this morning was mine. A wise friend once said to me nothing good happens if you worry late into the night. So I laid there and listened to the patter of rain on the roof, and eventually drifted off.

3 AM was just when this got to me. But now here we are, it’s Friday and everyone I know and their families survived the week in the COVID19 world, so I think that is good. Think of COVID19 as the ultimate 12 step program. No, I am not and never have been in recovery. Someone I know who is suggested this parallel because this current world we live in can only be handled one day at a time.

Overnight we learned that California had issued a state wide shelter in place. Translation? #staythefuckhome. So why can’t people just do that without being told? Why are people so bent out of shape that WaWa for example stopped self-serve coffee? I mean come on, are people really that obtuse or selfish? Someone I know who had to be out briefly yesterday had remarked when they were out they noticed how people in some places seemed to act like it was business as usual. They wondered how a car detailing place they passed by was an essential business.

Things I think about include what happens to residential and retail/commercial renters? Are their landlords being kind? What are they doing for tenants? I get that a lot of these property owners have mortgages and bills to pay, but not all do and some probably have mortgages that are low enough that they could maybe offer some rent abatements? Are they?

I have a lot of friends and acquaintances with small businesses. I say a prayer for them every day. Some we can support remotely, some we can’t. It’s a horrible Sophie’s Choice situation, isn’t it?

I can’t think of anyone not affected by this global pandemic. I have friends that live overseas and a stepbrother too. This is no joke. Yet you have to wonder what some people and organizations are thinking.

My alma mater The Shipley School has canceled the entire reunion weekend in May. I think it’s the right thing to do. Yet on one thread talking about it someone said “Damn this panic over nothing!” With those people you can only shake your head and walk away.

Other events are being or have been canceled. A Philadelphia tradition, the Dad Vail Regatta has been cancelled. The Penn Relays have been canceled for the first time in 126 years. I met the famous Olympian Jesse Owens there when I was a child.

Other cancellations include Radnor Hunt events like the balance of the fox hunting season. That’s good and here’s hoping some of their membership stops gathering at the club for events and cocktails now. I saw a photo recently of a bunch of folks at an event there and the event selfies were reminiscent of “let them eat cake” a la Marie Antoinette. Not trying to be mean. But people in clubs aren’t immortal.

Organizations Philadelphians have not heard from include the Orpheus Club. We belong and did not attend the March event because of coronavirus, and they have a spring concert at the Kimmel Center which I am somewhat surprised has not been postponed or canceled. Their events are quite popular and well, how do you practice social distancing at a large, crowded event? The short answer is you can’t. Orpheus we will still love you if you have to postpone the spring concert.

Now another organization which has NOT canceled which people are talking about is the Devon Horse Show. So many other equine spring events like Winterthur’s Point to Point has been canceled. Even the Grand National in England has been cancelled. But Devon Horse Show remains silent. Devon is a HUGE event, which makes it exactly a big kind of risk, doesn’t it? What are the show organizers thinking?

Governor Tom Wolf has ordered all non life-sustaining businesses to shut down. So it’s going to get more quiet. And yes this virus is going to cause and is causing an economic hit. I have thought a lot of the supposed bubbling economy was smoke and mirrors for a couple of years, so hopefully we will come out of this battered and not broken.

But the thing is this: we are exactly and precisely in a situation beyond our control. As in we can only control ourselves. So we need to step up. We can be selfish or we can be smart and compassionate. Now is the time to pay it forward. Even little things like just calling a friend to say hi. Checking in on neighbors.

To get through this we need to keep the home fires burning and just stay the hell home. And we need to keep our kids home and the older ones need to learn about social distancing. I think the idiots who had to go on spring break need to be quarantined somewhere and sent home if healthy.

Now it’s not all horrible. Some beautiful things have happened. Music floating over rooftops in Italy and other European countries, musicians playing from home via social media platforms, and more. And we have to give a shout out to our grocery stores who are really stepping up their games. Now if people would just buy what they need and resist the urge to hoard.

Locally there are random acts of kindness abounding which makes my heart happy and gives us all hope. From people who keep chickens sharing eggs and more. Neighbors helping neighbors.

We live in a time where the biggest positive to come out of this is people are starting to remember what is important in this life. That’s a good thing. Look I’m not Pollyanna, I can be really negative and I had a sleepless night. Just like when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 I am choosing to do my best to remain positive. We have to choose hope. We have to not let the boogie men who appear in the middle of the night when we are sleepless not get the better of us.

Look, it won’t kill us if we stay home for a while. It might kill us if we don’t. Choose life. #staythefuckhome

Happy Friday. Be well.

let’s get covid19 real, shall we?

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Altered photo so people are not identifiable

Saw this posted elsewhere with the following comment:

📌”These kids went around the barricades and posted signs. I recognize some of them. Parks are closed! I want to go back to work and this is not helping!!!”📌

Malvern Borough someplace, and these kids and their parents need some 411 spread their way. Keep your kids at home. They say they might die of terminal boredom, but they won’t. And neither will all of you.

We need to get real.

Three in Pennsylvania have died from Coronavirus . This is very sobering news. And we need to take this more seriously. People that are letting their kids go play contact sports even like pick up games of basketball need to think twice.

We’re either all in this together and we try and we’re inconvenienced for a short amount of time or this virus isn’t going to go away.

It occurred to me that a lot of the reasons some kids are having a hard time with this isn’t because they are super social or even anything other than they are normally so scheduled that they don’t know what to do with downtime. Same with the parents as someone else pointed out. And I’m not saying that to be insulting it’s reality.

I have friends with small businesses who are going to be hard-pressed to get through this because they are nonessential and have had to close. That is a perspective we need to keep in mind as well. There are literally so many worse off than each of us who might take the time to read this post we need to put it into perspective.

I have seen several conversations on the various social media platforms deteriorate into borderline nastiness and I think we all need to get it into perspective and check ourselves. Everyone is going to have a different opinion of this, these times, and this is hard on everyone. But we all have to be in this together to get through it.

From posts about people leaving nasty comments on people’s business pages on social media platforms, to some thread of comments about not letting outsiders into certain communities, we need to just pause.

I live an immunocompromised existence every day as a breast cancer survivor and patient still on cancer meds. Do you want to put it all into perspective people? I was at an event where the second victim in Chester County also was so I’m in self quarantine until the end of the week. I’m completely healthy thank the good Lord and so is everyone in my family. But I’m staying home because it’s what I’m supposed to do. That is what I can control. So I’m doing my part.

And after we’re off of self quarantine where are we all going to go? Probably nowhere unless we need gas in the car or food on the table. And why is that? Because the way to kick this thing is social distancing and self quarantine.

When we hear reports of police having to use their valuable time to chase kids (and parents) off of playgrounds that are supposed to be closed, and people driving by and seeing teenagers congregated in clumps on basketball courts or just out, to the moronic college students we have all seen on TV who insist they are immortal and are going to stay on spring break anyway I’m so over it.

Everyone out there just needs to do their part. And use common sense. Check on elderly neighbors check on neighbors in general.

Be the community I know we are at heart. And let the crap go. Politics and vitriol will still be here when we’re through this but right now we don’t have the luxury of that. We all need to grow up. It’s kind of that “Dorothy we’re not in Kansas anymore” moment.

Sorry, but something needed to be said. And if you don’t like what I’ve just had to say, just move by this post resist the urge to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by virtually. Be safe and healthy.

#StayTheFuckHome

the simple things we take for granted

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Life is so quiet. It’s like snowstorm quiet without the snow. We naturally miss the little things, the simple things that we take for granted except now. It’s the freedom to move about and do what we want, when we want. But just like when there is a big snowstorm, we can’t. We have to think, we have to pause. And some people just can’t pause. They simply don’t know how.

There is also that underlying current of what is next? But not all the time. Only when I turn on the news. The media is so on overdrive I wonder when people will stop listening? It’s a balancing act for all of us and them and it can be information overload can’t it?

An amusing thing is apparently Facebook software wants people to stop listening. Yesterday they kept removing people’s posts saying they went against “community standards”. They did it with one of mine. I had shared an article from The Morning Call about a news conference Governor Tom Wolf had held. A friend of mine had a post removed she posted that was an obituary!

Reuters: Social media giants warn of AI moderation errors as coronavirus empties offices


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s YouTube, Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) warned on Monday that more videos and other content could be erroneously removed for policy violations, as the companies empty offices and rely on automated takedown software during the coronavirus pandemic.

I think what bothers me the most about what’s going on with COVID19 or coronavirus are the people not taking it seriously. I have seen so many “group selfies” that makes me wonder what it is they don’t get about social distancing? And these people have been both young and those who could be categorized as senior citizens who should know better or people who just don’t think this will touch them for whatever reason.

And I know some people are having a hard time being home with their kids. It occurred to me the other day why it is so hard. It’s because a lot of these people have their kids so scheduled every day of the week, they (and the kids) don’t actually know what to do when they’re not scheduled. 

Now more than ever it has true meaning to say you are blessed to have your family, friends, and your health is totally true.

And sorry not sorry, I don’t view it as a world crisis that the liquor stores are closed. People, your liver will thank you for the break.

Someone asked me today what I’m doing. It’s pretty much my normal life. I am cooking, cleaning, reading, writing, working from home, sewing, and gardening. All the things I do normally as a not so closeted nester, things I like to do.  I am by nature a homebody. I like being home.

I do miss seeing my friends and doing things with them but like the rest of my family they’re all still out there just everyone’s in their own space right now.

One thing I miss is my friend Amy and I were due for a “Fran day”. Those are little outings we do named after her mother. We have lunch and we poke our heads in a couple of antique stores like Frazer Antiques and Brandywine View Antiques, or visit the Surrey Services for Seniors Thrift Shop in Berwyn. Sometimes depending on the season , we go to a thing at Life’s Patina. Her mother loved days like that. So it’s like keeping a piece of her with us.

We both used to be on the corporate hamster wheel and it’s something that we also both decided we wanted to do for ourselves now that we can sometimes.

That’s another thing I’ve been thinking about. In this country, we often don’t take time for ourselves and our families. It’s a cycle of work home sleep eat repeat. Busy busy busy. So now we have the time. Should we just try to see the positives in that? 

This virus is kind of beyond our control except for the things we can do with washing our hands, social distancing and just staying the hell home. (See staythefuckhome.com )

Someone has this website up NCOV19live it has a worldwide map.

So for the time being why NOT garden more? Or do something creative at home. Seriously. You’ll feel better. Especially gardening.

Me? I am going to finish a pillow.

Happy hump day #COVID19 style.

We can do this.

not like every other monday

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Wow. #CoronaMonday indeed. It’s so quiet.

You don’t realize how quiet until the sounds of every day weeks start to go quiet. We heard the trash truck this morning, but not the school buses. The neighborhood and extended neighborhood in which I live is just still. It’s not like everyone is so noisy, but it sure gets quiet when the everyday sounds are less.

Life in general is just quieter, isn’t it? Except for the pandemonium of the grocery stores. And of course the liquor stores now. The whole liquor stores thing I don’t get, probably because I just don’t drink very much- it’s not so important to me.

Late yesterday, Chester County offered a mapping tool for tracking the spread of the virus. They also have an entire page up about Covid19/coronavirus. But it is what it is, and we need to calm down and live our lives essentially in self-quarantine.

Look I know first hand it is all a bit overwhelming and perhaps scary. How do you think I feel after finding out I attended an event where a confirmed Covid19 victim was? My whole house is in self-quarantine now, but you know what ? It’s not forever and NO ONE is sick. THAT is what is important.

Yesterday I shared the Facebook Live feed from the service Rev. Abigail gave at St. Peter’s in The Great Valley on a community page. I am more spiritual than religious, but yesterday that service and sermon spoke to me. And it was calming. Sadly, this one person had this to say about that:

“God won’t help you avoid the virus….I assume faith is a form of mental illness.”

 

I found that sad and not the point. And I am not super-religious. It’s about faith more than religion. Faith that we can put aside our differences even for just a little while and handle this thing which poses a threat to us all.

I saw this posted this morning:

It’s a little airy fairy, but is it completely wrong? I don’t think so.

And then the practical in me discovered this blog post, actually a website :

#StayTheFuckHome

A Movement to Stop the COVID-19 Pandemic

I suggest you go visit their website for more. It’s not alarmist, it’s common sense.

And take the time to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. The world will not end if we have to slow down for a couple of weeks and mind our health.

Enjoy the life pause. And be grateful to be alive.