Are You Afraid?

“Can COVID live on newspaper? Should I be worried about reading the paper while I eat breakfast?”
My hubby answered me, “It lives for three hours on paper. You could always burn the front page.”
“No! That’s where the best news is—the updates on COVID!”
“Or you could wait three hours.”
“I don’t think so! I want to read it now!”

I decided I’d read the paper while I ate my eggs with a fork, and then wash my hands. The “Avoid Touching Your Face” rule would remain in effect. No licking my fingers to turn the pages!

I’ve been a big fan of newspapers from way back. Here’s a pic of me at age 8, totally absorbed in my reading!

Even with news updates available online, I still love to read the paper. I like the feel of it in my hands. And now that the Coronavirus is on everyone’s mind, the first thing I do in the morning is read all about it.

Then a knot forms in the pit of my stomach.

People who have never suffered from anxiety are experiencing panic attacks now. Headlines speak doom and gloom. We need to keep reading as the information is fluid; it changes daily. It’s imperative to stay informed to keep healthy.

Yesterday, a man wearing a balaclava approached me as I reached for the only yellow bananas in a heaping pile of green bananas. Was I going to be robbed of my bananas? Nope, just an oddly masked customer gripped by fear of contracting COVID.

The problem behind being afraid of the Coronavirus is you’re facing the threat of your own mortality. That doesn’t sit well with most people. It keeps you awake at night. What to do?

I read about the pandemic each morning and move on. If I’m curious, I’ll read about it at 1 pm when the local health unit posts statistics. Family and friends update me, Facebook is full of the latest news,  and even government alerts pop up on my phone to warn me of COVID-19. You can’t escape it but you can decide if you want to worry about it every moment. What should you do?

You may want to do all the things possible to wipe the slate clean before you die. Make peace with the ones around you, forgive yourself and others, and be prepared should you find yourself at the Pearly Gates sooner than expected.

I figure you can live life to the fullest—or at least carry on—or you can be consumed with worry. You may stay healthy or you may get COVID and have minor symptoms like a cold . . . or you could die. Do you want people to say, “Oh, she worried so much about dying and then look, she caught it and died?” or would you rather have it said, “Well she certainly lived life to the fullest, didn’t she?” Look outside yourself and think about how you come across to others for a moment.

I don’t know about you, but I feel life is for living. So, I will search for the beauty surrounding me. In my backyard, I see common sparrows flying into our birdhouses. I’m reminded of a bible scripture hung on the wall of my daughters’ nursery. It read “His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.” I find comfort in that, thinking of a bird with its baby tucked under a wing.

I hear the cheep-cheep-cheep of a cardinal. I take in the blue sky, the trees with the buds just emerging and I spot a striking red cardinal atop it. Try to live in the moment.

I’ll continue to post beautiful photos and videos on Facebook. We all need to feel joy despite the threat of getting sick. I may not be present to hear my granddaughter’s first words, but I can still share in the joy of the moment.

I’m not making light of the situation. Times are tough. When we learned my hubby will be laid off next week, my daughter commented, “Dad will be in the same boat as most people.” Yup, a sinking boat but I know how to swim. It will be a financial hardship, but we won’t let that define us. The first thing Guy said was that he’d now have time to organize the garage and finish a woodworking project. I told Guy I read about a man who had experienced great stress and worry. He went through his home and made a list of 242 things that needed attention. It occupied his mind and kept his worrying at bay. I’ve already started on a list for Guy, ha-ha! But also take time to learn new things . . . like how to play the guitar or how to cut hair!

In a nutshell: stay informed, make peace, live in the moment, and keep busy to keep the FEAR of the Coronavirus away! And if you get your hands on any Lysol wipes, let me know!

 

Cover photo and end photo by cottonbro from Pexels. Thanks!