The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is still running rampant across our country and seems to be making inroads into our community here in North Texas. We listen to the news intently each evening for an update on infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and percentages. We get what the powers that be want us to know, but you and both know that not all people are tested, not all infections are reported, and that people die from medical conditions exacerbated by the virus, so COVID-19 may not always be blamed as the culprit for people's demise. Our local hospitals allegedly have numerous patients with the virus, but because they did not necessarily originate in this county, they will not be counted in this county. That does, however, bring things a little closer to home.
I have several reactions to where we are:
1) While I get it that people need to return to their jobs, that the economy is tanking, and that family income is hurting many of us, a too early return will in all likelihood hurt us even more.
2) The federal government could do a better job of keeping us informed, from the top in the WH to the agencies and those who speak for them. The same applies to the powers that be in Austin.
3) The federal government, if it can bail out huge corporations, can also bail out individual families. Sure, we received the stimulus money, and we'll save it for rainier days, but for working class families, that is a drop in the bucket.
4) I keep track of the news, but hopefully not obsessively. The first thing I do in the morning is to read up on things that have happened since I shut down last night.
5) I keep a routine much like I kept prior to the outbreak of this thing. Routines are important to me. That routine includes getting up early, catching up on the news, reading sacred texts and other things of encouragement, and then praying over them all, and writing those prayers down in the journal that I've been keeping for years.
6) I linger over breakfast with my Beloved as we eat, pray, and discuss things that matter. Her routine and rhythm are different than mine, and I respect her deeply and want to stay closed attached to her during these trying times.
7) My Beloved has things to do like sewing masks that go across this region. I have written about that here on these pages. Her work and that of her friends move me deeply. So, I support her and do my share of household tasks so that she can do what she feels called to do.
8) I have things to do and things to accomplish. Whether that is working on the text for the DVD cover, co-authoring documents for Biden's policy team (the way we did for Warren and Sanders), attemping to get in touch with Biden's team, developing materials for a radio blog on Black land loss and it economics, or any number of other things, I try to keep busy. I am not eight hours busy in retirement-ville, but I keep busy.
9) I stay engaged with family, my extended family, my sons and their families; and I stay in touch with a few close friends. And I write for a few followers here and in other media platforms.
10) I try not to be hysterical about things, but measured about things that are of importance in social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
11) Exercise, that is important, at least 40 minutes per day.
12) As willful as I am, I pay attention to what my family has to say. From my Beloved to my boys to my extended family, I honor their requests that I stay indoors and away from crowds. Given my history over the last year of surgeries and multiple medical events, my immune system is likely weakened (though I am taking supplements to strenghthen my system), so that means not going to grocery stores or to other places where large crowds gather.
13) I weary of those who theologize about God's punishment upon us. Please place those words elsewhere. I am prone to theologize that we haven't taken care of our world, and that we disrespect the thin veil between and among all of God's creations, human and animal. I think that our struggles with the problem of evil fits in here. We have wrestled with that since the beginning of time.
13) And finally, keeping my mind clear and engaged in thoughtful pieces of information outside of the virus such as "The Fiery Trial," by Erick Foner, and how his ideas of slavery evolved from his youth to the presidency. That also includes podcasts by Loki Mulholland, Code Switching, AAMFT, and others.
14) Create space in your relationships to be separate, and then create a connection between you and others. That ebb and flow thing is important. This shelter in place thing can exacerbate or enrich whatever is in the marriage or family or partnership.
These are just a few of things happening here in this house that promotes some sense of sanity and avoids the hysteria of the day, but what about you? What of your successes and failures can you share with us on this page?
And finally, and this is really a finally, please trust the physicians and the epidemiologists, and not the politicians for what is healthy here in our various parts of the world. Science is a gift of God, in my opinion, for our good. It is not something that needs to conflict with our theology. When there is a conflict, either our science is wrong or our theology is wrong. When that happens, we can explore the differences.
Be safe. Practice social distancing. Shelter in place. Avoid high risk areas.
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