No Time to Panic!

Panic is sweeping my city. News that a doctor working in a local hospital may possibly be infected with the Coronavirus has set off alarms for many people. Fearing that everyone will soon be sick, shoppers are stocking up on hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes and toilet paper.

Toilet paper? I thought it was a respiratory illness! But there’s no toilet paper to be found in the city. And the cost is exorbitant on Amazon!

As I was low on toilet paper, I headed to Canadian Tire first. I figured that store might have some in stock if the grocery stores had run out. No luck there! But I bought Kleenex. People were stocking up on paper towels but I figured using that would just make plumbers rich.

I then went to the grocery store where the parking lot was packed. No toilet paper, wipes or sanitizer were to be found.

So I bought what I love…almond coconut milk, my favourite yogourt, pizzas, milky bone treats for my dog and for my hubby, his choice of ice cream: pistachio!

But I bought myself one more thing . . . flowers!

Flowers bring me joy, and spring flowers are the best for brightening a mood. Daffodils in my garden are popping up from the cold ground but there won’t be blossoms for weeks. Meanwhile the grocery store daffodils provide an instant burst of happiness for me.

No toilet paper, no worries. There will be more. This is temporary. Others may choose to panic but I will surround myself with my favourite things and keep calm. And keep happy. I won’t dwell on things I can’t change!

I am a nurse and there’s no room for panicking. I’m trained to think clearly and to care for people whether they have a cough or not. Or are feverish or not. It’s what I do.

At the beginning of my career, I worked on a floor with private rooms and that’s where the patients with AIDS were placed. I cared for them at a time when little was known about HIV. Now I am at the end of my career. I have seven weeks before retirement. What’s one more health crisis?

The only time I brought “something” home with me from work was when I acquired scabies from a patient. It was mentally distressing but we all survived.

I will continue to wash my hands and use precautions and most of all, I will not worry or panic!

In seven weeks, my front yard will be full of daffodils and I will be retired. Should I need to self-isolate, a garden is a very nice place to be!

Dad always told me to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I will get more toilet paper when it is available. I will take all necessary precautions at work, but I will live in the moment and be hopeful.

Today, I am healthy, I have flowers and I have joy!