This is an interesting read. It’s OK to have a sense of humor about stuff even when the stuff is serious. And it’s OK if you are healthy and don’t need to worry about COVID even if you get it. However, please do not shame the people who are actually at risk of severe illness and/or death for being concerned, sharing real information, or taking steps you may consider unnecessary to protect themselves.

If you ARE one of those people, pay attention every time you are assured that most of the community is safe. You will never hear it without a disclaimer such as the word “most,” “healthy,” “young,” “normal…” to account for the small part of the population that DOES NOT fit that category and DOES need to worry, and may need to follow different instructions than what is provided for the general public by the CDC.

If you have a specialist such as a pulmonologist or a rheumatologist, you are probably at risk and should talk to them to confirm your risk level and ask how to protect yourself. If you are elderly, you are probably at risk. If you are immunocompromised you are at risk. If you have respiratory disease of any kind, including asthma, you are at risk. Several people in my asthma group are in the hospital. That’s just the group with asthma and not the group with autoimmune vasculitis, where asthma is only a small part of our daily lives and disease.

If you are at risk you know who you are, and you were already at risk prior to this outbreak. More than likely you already have worn a mask to protect yourself in the past. More than likely you have already reacted out of the ordinary when someone coughed near you or even spoke with a raspy voice. Those of you who are not us have seen us react this way. On any given day.

Most of us already had plenty of hand sanitizer at home that we use already, along with washing our hands. We already had extra vitamin C, and some of even had masks and gloves a year ago, before any mention of this virus. And we have used them already just dealing with every day life and things that are not offensive to the general public, but can shock our systems into a hospital or death.

If you are immunocompromised, or otherwise at risk, and you are not taking this seriously, read this article. I am posting Memes and I am laughing because panicking isn’t going to help. But make no mistake: I don’t think this is a joke and people at risk need to protect themselves. I have six family members who are doctors. I’ve seen and posted a pic of one in a full protective suit with helpful medical advice for EM/EMS folks. I am worried about those family members. Even the ones I’m not close to.

You cannot count on otherwise healthy people to keep from spreading it, nor do I think they really can even if they try. So it is everyone’s job to protect themselves according to whatever their risk level is, and to educate yourselves about what to do both now, and in the event you begin to show symptoms.

You cannot count on otherwise healthy people to keep from spreading it, nor do I think they really can even if they try. So it is everyone’s job to protect themselves according to whatever their risk level is, and to educate yourselves about what to do both now, and in the event you begin to show symptoms.

If you are lucky enough to be safe, maybe consider offering to lend a hand to those who aren’t so lucky, instead of laughing at them, like my neighbor did within 2 hours of a sign being posted on my door that I wouldn’t be answering and to leave items at the door or call me.

It’s just a thought. Remember that in an instant your life can change and you, your child, your parents, your sibling, your spouse or your best friend can become ill with no warning and suddenly be part of the “at risk” group. Treat everyone you see worried as if they or their loved ones are one of these people. Because to somebody, they are.

#StaySafe #NotMeantToEncourageTPHoarding #DontBeSelfish #BeKindToEachOther #ThereButForTheGraceOfGodGoI

#StaySafe #NotMeantToSanctionTPHoarding

DontBeSelfish #BeKindToEachOther #ThereButForTheGraceOfGodGoI

So we are at the beginning of what has been officially declared by the world health organization (WHO), a pandemic. The novel coronavirus, nicknamed COVID-19, began in Wuhan, China, initially contracted from bats if my understanding is correct, and spread to various countries, with Italy appearing most affected, and finally reaching the United States.

It began in Washington and then spread to the expected states: New York, California, and now Florida. In Florida it began in Tampa, two hours from me, and then in the southern part of the state, especially Broward County. Yesterday it reached Seminole county, the county I lived in for the first half of my life in Florida and where my mother and in-laws still live.

People have gone insane. The general public should not be alarmed, because even if they get it, they are expected to recover and should not experience anything worse than a flu feeling. However, people who are immunocompromised, elderly, in poor health, or dealing with some other underlying condition or risk, have a lot to be concerned about.

Instead, most of the general public has gone out and purchased all of the face masks, hand sanitizer, and most of the toilet paper, cleaning supplies and many other things such as non-perishable food and water they could find. The other half of the general public is standing with your arms crossed shaking their heads and laughing at the people protecting themselves.

First it was that it wasn’t in the United States. Then it was that it wasn’t in Florida. Then it was that it wasn’t in Central Florida. Now it’s that it isn’t in orange county, and then it will probably be that it’s not in the city, and then that it’s not in the school. It is a little bit funny to watch the rationale change.

The fact of the matter is the virus can live from 2 to 9 hours on plastic, metal, or wood. In my opinion, which is a non-professional opinion, it is pretty much impossible to contain. Even if you were to wear a mask and gloves to a grocery store, if you didn’t disinfect the container of every item you brought home, you could have brought the virus home. Our cell phones are constantly exposed even when we were a mask and if we don’t disinfect our cell phones, we may as well not wear a mask.

I believe people like myself who are at risk are now in a position where it is incumbent on us to protect ourselves. I am making the choice to self quarantine except for medical trips, and for the time being, to my daughter’s school. I should not be taking that risk, but it is a difficult choice to make.

I am also having to ask my adult daughter and her fiancé not to come visit anymore and indefinitely because she works at a theme park and without wearing even a mask, can’t take the risk of her being a carrier and can’t expect her to stop working or protect herself as if she were me when she is young and healthy and it is her sole source of income.

I am hoping this will peter out similarly to when the flu season comes to an end. That would buy us the time for a vaccine to possibly be created before it re-surfaced. That is my hope. In the meantime, I don’t have any choice but to protect myself as much as possible. So that is what I’m doing.

I was recently speaking with a friend, and she apologized for not having responded sooner, when she is dealing with a terminal illness as a young mother. Because I watched my first husband go through a terminal illness, and I am now suffering from a chronic illness that could become terminal at any moment, I understand this better than most.

I told her not to ever apologize to me again, because I know if she is not answering she is busy or resting like she should be, and she should not have to apologize for that. I realized that I do the same thing. Most of us do the same thing. If I’m using any walking assistance or a wheelchair, I apologize for taking too long to get in an elevator. I apologize when I have to take the stairs slowly and someone is behind me if I can’t let them pass. I apologize if I have to interrupt something to stop and take a medication. I apologize for having too many bags and a heavy purse, even if half of it is medication or medical equipment. I apologize because of my symptoms.

Apologies are supposed to be made when you have done something wrong, and you want to make it right. We have not done anything wrong. We did not choose to get sick. We don’t choose all of the baggage that comes with it. Yet, we are always apologizing for it. Even to the medical professionals, whose jobs are literally to help us because we are sick.

This is not limited to people who are dealing with illness. It is also commonly done by women. From an early age, we learn to apologize for no reason at all. This is something I was already familiar with because of studying gender stereotypes. I was looking for a Pantene hair commercial, “Labels Against Women,” from a few years ago that was an amazing way to show how this happens in life.

While looking for that one, I stumbled across another one, which was timed nicely and turned out to be about women NOT apologizing. “Sorry, not sorry.” It was great! As a female attorney working in a male-dominated field, I had to deal with quite a bit of discrimination, along with learning many behaviors men and women engage in, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not, that tend to make women submissive to men.

For example, when women walk down the hall and make eye contact with men, most of the time, they look down immediately thereafter. If they don’t, they have usually trained themselves not to. Men don’t do this. I often had to assert myself when I first met male attorneys, including clarifying my name, and that it was not “Honey” or “Sweetie.” Once I established that I was not intimidated by them, I usually had a good relationship with them going forward.

It’s time for women to start becoming aware of how often they apologize. It’s time for people who are ill to stop apologizing. What are you apologizing for? Did you do something wrong? If you didn’t, cut out the, “I’m sorry.” Your voice and your existence in the world is equal to everyone else’s. Don’t apologize for that… Embrace it!

Every November many of us spend the month posting or blogging daily about people and things we are grateful for. It’s always a cathartic experience. It makes other people feel good, and it makes us feel good to see that we made them feel appreciated and seen.

But this year, something guided me to try something different. I don’t know where it came from. But I do believe I was meant to receive the message. Because I needed it. And if I need it, I know there are other people who need it as well.

Here’s the idea. A gratitude list to yourself. I know. It sounds conceited. But it isn’t.

Most of us are often quick to compliment other people, lift them up, help them remember who they are. But most of us are not so good at doing that for ourselves. Like they say, we are our own worst critics.

The truth is that we judge ourselves. Harshly. It’s not often that we give ourselves credit for what we do well in life. And if we do, we usually feel like we are bragging. But it’s usually most evident when someone stops to give us a compliment that is really heartfelt, and it brings tears to our eyes. That happens because whatever it is is something that is not usually acknowledged by us, or anyone. At least not aloud. It makes us see a side of ourselves that we don’t usually pay attention to. A good one. A critically important one.

So I’m just asking you to try it. November has 30 days. Make a list of 30 things you truly appreciate and respect about yourself. If you’re having trouble, ask your child or a close friend if they can tell you one thing THEY appreciate about you. Only one! And you can’t use that one because that’s cheating. Start trying to see yourself through your children’s eyes. Through your best friend’s eyes. Through your parents’ eyes. Through the eyes of your pets!

And then try seeing it for yourself. You will be floored at how much good you actually do in the world, whether it’s good for yourself, good for your children, good for your family and friends, or good for strangers. You will undoubtedly find something about yourself that you never even considered was amazing about you.

My friends, this is a gratitude list you should keep. Frame it. Put it on your wall for the bad days. Because it’s all too easy to see the bad. Seeing the good is hard. But without it, we spiral into depression, low self-esteem, and we forget the good parts of ourselves. The reasons we’re still alive. I always say as long as we are drawing breath, our purpose on this life is not over and there is still work for us to do. When our work is done, our lives will be over.

If you’re reading this, you are alive. You are doing good in the world. What is it?