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Threat Of The Coronavirus

I am 68 years old and retired 2 years ago. I was ready to enjoy life and pursue new adventures. I started off by becoming a full-time blogger almost a year ago. We were changing our landscaping, adding new trees and plants, and looking forward to my nephew’s wedding in the summer. Then we hear about a Coronavirus outbreak in China!

I grew up in the ’60s and saw Martin Luther King lead many civil rights marches throughout the country, the Beatles took over the music industry and created “Beatlemania”, we landed on the moon, we were involved in the Vietnam War and many men were killed, and President Kennedy was shot and killed.

We are a country that has faced many adversities, but we always persevere and overcome them! War and disease would not defeat us. Getting the measles, mumps, and chickenpox, were what we were exposed to growing up but vaccines kept them in check, and we were never exposed to a dangerous virus like Covid-19 where we became divided on how to fight and win this battle.

People have always been a social species who cherish their family and friends. Socialization was part of growing up creating caring, loving adults. In middle school and high school, we lived to be together with our friends, as they were more important than our parents at that age. As we grew up, the family became important too. We seemed to find a balance between socializing with parents, families, and friends.

We have survived and lived through different flu strains and learned to live with it with yearly vaccines. People still died from that, but we know every winter we need to be prepared and get the vaccine, try to avoid sick people, cough in your arm when you need to cough, and wash your hands regularly. I remember my sons getting some weird diseases and stomach flu.

Spread Of The Virus In The US

Then comes 2020! As I mentioned earlier we heard there was a deadly virus in China, but that had happened before and it never made it to the United States, so we continued on with our normal lives. Then we hear Washington state had an outbreak in one of their nursing homes and so now the virus had raised its ugly head in our country. The elderly started passing away and I think it was around 15 people in the beginning.

I won’t go into the politics on this, but before we knew if the virus was spreading throughout the US, hospitals were going over capacity, and they were trying to figure out how this virus spreads and who is more inclined to get this. Then they were saying that the elderly should stay at home.

The virus was spreading like a wildfire out of control from one country to another. Cruise ships were becoming a petri dish and not allowing the people to disembark. People visiting other countries were not allowed to fly into the US and were stranded in these countries not knowing what the future would hold and if they would ever make it back home.

As months went by the virus was spreading and there was not a government plan on how to get this under control and get enough PPE needed in the hospitals. California was one of the first states to put everyone under a stay-at-home order. I will admit I was scared but had faith God will get us through this.

I didn’t leave the house for months and worked in the yard digging up weeds to work off anxiety. I use to walk our dog every day and now it doesn’t happen often. I miss getting together with friends and as my nephew’s wedding got closer and the virus wasn’t going away, I realized as much as I hated missing it we were going to have to cancel the flight.

Shutdown, Working At Home, Kids Doing Online Learning, Life Changes

More and more states were shutting down and the cases rising. Kids were taken out of school and were now learning online, so parents had to worry about who would be home with the kids to help them with online learning. Many quit there jobs, and online learning had some glitches and several areas did not have wifi, creating more anxiety and uncertainty in people’s lives.

My younger son was finishing up his last year in college, but he did not want to do online and decided to put finishing and getting his degree on hold.

Many companies and businesses had their employees work from home when possible. Due to this you could call for customer service and had long waits or wouldn’t even get a real person, so had to wait to chat or send an email and wait for your answer! It became so frustrating but was something you had to live with.

The technology was not running as effectively as it was before the pandemic, so you would have to live with losing connections or no connection at all, so productivity slowed down and we had to learn different ways to get the work done.

Elective surgeries and appointments were canceled or postponed. I had gone to the dentist at the beginning of the year but did not make it back until October. I felt anxiety wondering how safe it was going to be, but I told myself you have to face your fears, as I knew they would be doing everything they could to make it a safe environment. The dentist had gone beyond what needed to be done.

I had a telehealth appointment for my yearly physical, which worked out great, as I was able to get on my own scale. I had a blood pressure monitor I used to give her the reading. She emailed me some exercises to do for my osteoporosis. I wouldn’t mind doing it this way every year.

I have a friend who makes masks, so I ordered several for our family. I decided now that we had masks, I needed to face my fear again and leave the house and go to the grocery store. It felt so good to get out and I don’t fear leaving the house, as long as I can social distance and I always wear my mask. My older son lives in downtown Sacramento, so I put on my mask and vist him quite often now, and just follow the guidelines.

Confusion, No Government Plan, Politics Turns Ugly

Since there isn’t a government plan or mandate, many states and businesses opened at different times and many did not follow the CDC guidelines and opened sooner than they should be allowing the virus to take hold again. Not all people were wearing masks or social distancing so the virus could be spread and create a spike in cases.

People are confused about who to listen to, as depending on what station, article, or the person you get your information from is not in agreement. Wearing a mask has become political and so many people have stopped or refuse to wear them as they follow their party beliefs.

People are unfriending followers on Facebook due to heated political disagreements, families and friendships are divided due to what party and candidate you are voting for, and peaceful protests have become violent with outsider groups creating disruption. Our country is so divided and I understand how this pandemic has created many mental health issues, fear of evictions, loss of jobs, no stimulus money to help so many, a sinking economy, growing cases, and a feeling of hopelessness.

I remember the America I knew as being strong and able to overcome any obstacle thrown our way, and becoming stronger with adversity. We need to work together to get through this! See people as human beings and not a political party you hate. Show kindness and compassion, as so many are suffering and could use a helping hand and support.

“Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want.” – Kristin Armstrong

In Closing

I am hopeful that an effective vaccine will become available, and enough to distribute throughout the world next year. I think this has been a learning experience for all of us, and that the normal as we knew it is gone, and a “new norm” is what we will be living in. I don’t think the virus is going away and that we need to learn to live with it as we do the flu.

Changes are being made that seem better to me, and working from home could become more of the “new norm”. Hopefully, once we have the vaccine, kids getting back to school might be more feasible, and updating and installing more effective ventilation systems and creating smaller classrooms will keep the kids safer.

Hospitals need to be ready for the next outbreak, so we can get a handle on it before it spreads. Wearing masks and social distancing might be part of the future, primarily during the flu season. Time will tell as we learn more about this virus.

Let’s get through this election without violence and see the positives in the future! Yes, it will take a lot of hard work, dedication and unity in getting our country moving in a positive direction towards economic recovery. I feel changes still need to be made to accomplish all this, but by working together and focusing on what needs to be done we can be the greatest country in the world again!

God Bless America!!

See you soon, Denise

Here is another post about the Coronavirus How A Stay At Home Order Can Affect Your Family Life

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Follow the CDC guidelines on how to stay safe and healthy. Wash your hands regularly, wear a mask and social distance at least 6 feet.

Below you will see two books for kids and the Coronavirus and two for adults that can be helpful in explaining and reading possibilities that can help with understanding and dealing with this pandemic.

Posts may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases and collect a small commission at no cost to you. This helps my blog to keep going. Thank you! For more info, read my disclosure policy.