Something(s) Positive

Let's be honest. The last year or so has been a sh!t storm of epic proportions. It wasn't just politics, or riots, or police, or criminals or COVID. It was actually all of it wrapped so tightly together that we didn't have a chance to breathe or get our bearings. Things got so bad at times, that we would continue to look for the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, only to find that each light proved to be just another train, ready to run us down and turn us inside out. In fact, I think quite honestly, even the most positive people in this world had trouble seeing past all the negative and finding even the tiniest grains of positivity, but it was there. In fact, it was here right in my little town, and that is what I am focusing on today. 

I know some of you are popping your anti-anxiety pills, putting on your masks and covering your heads waiting for the other shoe to drop reading this and wondering what positivity I can possibly be referring to as gas prices are rising, unemployment is off the charts and COVID is still knocking at our doors, but trust me, it is there and has been all along. 

Last year, at just about this time, I went for a walk in my community. I was frustrated at the time, as Spring Break had turned into a homeschooling nightmare (for me anyway), and by this time, everyone in my house had been doing their part to flatten the curve for a couple of months. We were literally ready to kill each other as we couldn't walk into another room without tripping over something or someone. The 24/7 togetherness was starting to take its toll. I needed some alone time and some positive reinforcement, and walks in my town of Mulvane, KS, usually gave me both. As always, my little community did not disappoint. 

I honestly think that it was on this day, that I can pinpoint the turnaround in my attitude. Until then, I had been so inundated with basic math that was stumping me and a very social, special needs young man who was feeling anything but social or special, seeing only my face day after day. I was turning into a very unpleasant person. 

The news media and social media were even further driving my and everyone else's mood into the ground as they were effectively playing  Chicken Little 24 hours a day. Well, fine! If the sky was falling, then I was going to be outside when it happened. So I was off to enjoy my little piece of the world that always seemed to give me a sense of peace and belonging, even in the worst of times. 

As I began my walk, I expected to see bare streets and a bit of desolation as this is pretty much what the news media told us was expected of us and to be expected outside our locked down homes. Amazingly though, as I walked through the neighborhoods, I started seeing some really positive things. I saw parents were sitting together on front porches, watching their kids play in the yard, and as I walked by, they would smile and yell, "Hello!" People were also out working in their yards and flower beds. Again as I walked by, they would look up and nod a greeting. These little acts of friendliness and socialization, actually made my heart soar a bit. People had their windows open and you could catch wafts of dinner smells coming through screens and sounds of families talking, cooking, and interacting. It was actually comforting, if not surprising, to say the least.

Toys filled front yards and bikes lay across lawn after lawn. You could smell the delicious smell of hamburgers cooking on the grill and all over you could hear kids laughing and playing. Amazingly too, I was not the only one who seemed to be needing some exercise and some outdoor scenery. I passed literally dozens of people out doing just what I was doing. There were parents and kids out walking, couples out walking, people out walking their dogs, and several, who like me, were alone and seemed to be enjoying just a little "me" time. 

In the moment, it dawned on me, that I was seeing a lot of smiles. In front of me, were parents interacting with their kids, and kids who had put down the game controllers and traded them in for bikes, basketballs, and soccer balls. It was then, that I remembered one of my mom's favorite sayings, Something good comes out of everything bad. Perhaps what I was witnessing was the good. Truly, that walk changed my outlook on the world and the negativity that I had been feeling. In some ways, it was a permanent change that went straight into my heart and still remains with me to this day.  

I think that with all the fear, stress, and frustration we had all been feeling all the past months, among the weeds, some flowers were starting to bloom. Families were starting to do things together because many parents were working from home. Meals were eaten together as a family and family game nights were becoming a thing again. Most importantly, it appeared that parents were becoming more in tune with their kids. It was almost like we had chosen to leave a bit of the technological world behind and step back into a world where life was just a bit sweeter and a whole lot simpler.

People were also getting in touch with their creative side as graduations, weddings and parties, were either canceled or put on hold. Parents were finding ways to celebrate their kid's big days whether it was in their driveway with a few close family members and recording it for the rest of the world to see, or whether it was doing drive-by caravans with signs, whistles, and music. It was so out of the norm and unconventional that it was a hit and many kids were asking for similar celebrations even post COVID. Now that is saying something!!!!

Also, in my part of the world and possibly in others too, dragging main streets or popular streets used to be a religion for teens every Friday and Saturday night. It was something we looked forward to and it was simple and fun. Well, my town and many other towns like it,  brought it back. It was something that could be done while we followed the rules, social distanced, and had some much-needed fun, at the same time. Yes, we actually found a way to be out in the open and socialize and still social distance. It was great! It was amazing and it gave the younger generations a peek into what their parents and grandparents called "fun" back in the old days. 

As for me, I decided to start trying some new and different things in the kitchen. Through the help of YouTube, I learned to bake a pretty decent cookie (something I had always failed at before) as well as trying my hand at a little Asian and German cooking. I also became a pretty prolific bread and cinnamon roll baker. This explains a lot about my newfound need for the gym.  

While I was doing all of this, others had put their long days of flattening the curve through lockdown, into gardening and because people had so much time on their hands, 2020 seemed to be a pretty spectacular year for tomatoes, cucumbers, and other assorted veggies. Unfortunately for them but fortunately for me, many of these gardeners found themselves with a surplus of this healthy and mostly green stuff. Thus, I was blessed to be gifted with mounds of it, so what did I do? I canned all summer and I truly began enjoying it. We as a family were also able to spend a lot of time in the pool and yard and the kids spent almost every waking moment outside. All in all, we had probably the best summer we had had in years. 

Funny, when the CDC or authority figures tell us we can't or shouldn't do something, how it just makes it all that much more enticing. I took notice that kids seemed to put their video games and computers away and instead opted for bikes and skates and yes, they even found neighborhood friends to play baseball, kickball, and other almost forgotten outdoor activities with. I mean after all....they were outside! Even some pools were open (not our community pool, but others were) and many kids found a little normalcy spending time doing what kids have done in the summer for generations. I guess we were making lemonade out of the lemons of a tough situation.

Looking back on the last year, yes, there was a lot of negativity and in some ways, the world that we knew pre-COVID, has changed forever. The last 15 months has altered not only how we work and play, but also how we do business and even go to school. It has affected jobs, livelihoods, education, and even family dynamics. Some of this change may prove to be permanent, while other things have slowly started finding their way back to what seems a bit more normal.

Viewing this all from a place of positivity, perhaps parents being able to work from home isn't such a bad thing as in many cases it has brought families closer and made parents more aware of their kids' actions and interactions. Also, parents having a birdseye view of who their kids are as students and what our teachers face on the daily is definitely an eye-opening, if not always a positive thing. I am sure by now, few parents are saying "My kid would never." Now they are likely realizing that not only would their kid do it but in some cases, their kid would be organizing it. Yeah, teachers don't get paid enough. 

We also have gotten to have a front-row seat for the very worst in people, but also we got to see the very best in people too. We have been given a unique opportunity to understand what a gift front-line workers are to our communities and we have been able to see kindness grow from the most unexpected places. We have also learned that regardless of what the CDC or government tells us, that there is no such thing as a non-essential worker and that without all workers, businesses tend to fold up, crumble and become non-existent. We are ALL essential. 

So whether it was learning something new, spending more time with our families, or just having the vantage point of seeing the world through a different lens, COVID was not all bad. It appears to be one of those really sucky life lessons that we never wanted, but we really needed, in order to open our eyes about the world around us and the people in it. 

Since that walk on that one warm spring afternoon in my little town, I have been much less angry and much more understanding that the one thing that affected us all (COVID), did not affect us all in the same way.  Whether we chose to mask up, hunker down, and take our cues from the CDC or whether we chose to handle it in a different way, at the end of the day, it has changed us all. Let us hope that going forward, we take the lessons learned (whether universally or individually)and continue to make positive changes both in our lives and in our own piece of the world, because....."No event or situation is ever so bad if you learn something from it." Yes, another momism. Your welcome. 

So until next time, stay healthy, stay active, and most of all.....work to make your piece of the world a better place. 

COVID-19 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

So.....COVID-19, also known as the Corona Virus. Hmmm...... As if 2020 hadn't already been enough of a shit show (for lack of a better term), with the whole "impeachment that never was," played out on every media outlet that ever was. Before we could take a breath, here comes C-19. And the hits just keep on coming.

It has been awhile since I have done a "good, bad and ugly" blog on a person, place or event, but after days of "containment" (yes, there are likely going to be a lot of " " in this piece), I decided that I either blogged my feelings or I explode. I went for the least messy route.....I think.

Tis' true. We had barely gotten through the whole "Pelosi implodes and Four More Years," situations, when along came C-19. At first people were just looking at it as the usual election year virus (look it up if you don't believe me), but then within a very short time, it became a history making, unprecedented event that will go down as the proverbial "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times," modern day melodrama.

COVID-19 began in China. It's origins were traced back to the Wuhan Market, where the lack of cleanliness and the choice in "delicacies" was less than palatable or healthy. Bats, dogs, cats and other assorted domestic and rodent type meats are the norm there and apparently knowing that these animals can carry diseases not healthy for humans is not a deterrent to the people.  For many there, C-19 proved fatal and it all linked back to the market...or so they say. Apparently I am the only one on the planet who questioned how a country that is so technologically forward would allow open markets such as this. Hmmmm.......

People were suddenly glued to their tvs and phones as they watched C-19 spread from China to Italy to Turkey and then eventually penetrate our borders through international flight and cruise ships. Closed borders were looking a lot better as this virus began working its way through our coastal states.

So what is C-19? It has been described as anywhere between a bad cold or a light flu, to a full on pneumonia and for the elderly, very young or those people with weakened immune systems, it can be fatal. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the symptoms of  the virus are fever, sore throat and coughing.  The reason C-19 seems to be so alarming is because it spreads so quickly and easily. The symptoms can appear 2-14 days from exposure. The reality is (if you do the research and don't just rely on the media for your info), there are 8 billion people in the world per Google. According to CNN, as of today 1.2 million people have tested positive world wide and 65,000 have died. What these numbers don't tell you is the number of cases that have not been reported and documented (because of course....they can't because they aren't testing everyone with symptoms) and of those, how many have survived. Comparatively, according to Contagion Live, the CDC has reported over 13 million cases of the flu in this flu season alone. The flu can also be fatal to the elderly, the very young or those with weakened immune systems and according to a 2017 report from the CDC, 291,000 to 646,000 people die yearly from the flu.....and yet C-19 has basically stopped life as we know it and is well on it's way to crippling what just a few weeks ago was a thriving and healthy economy. Anyone but me wondering why?

So those are the facts, but most don't do the research. They rely on a news media who has been caught time and again falsifying, withholding and totally abandoning the truth for both financial and political gain. Because of our devotion at the alter of a corrupt media, people with normal common sense have allowed themselves to become fearful and reactive. If you need proof of this, then let's wander back a few weeks during the "toilet paper, Clorox wipes" hoarding spree.

We had been warned for several weeks prior, that C-19 was on it's way and that precautions would likely be necessary. Precautions such as....washing your hands for at least 20 seconds multiple times per day, coughing into your sleeve, staying home if you didn't feel well and avoiding crowds. All perfectly rational and common sense things....that most everyone ignored.

When C-19 hit the states, the government apparently became alarmed, and suggested that if we were not feeling well or had been around those not feeling well, that we might self quarantine. Those words must have translated to the masses as, "Quick! Buy toilet paper and Clorox wipes. They will no longer make them and we are all gonna die if we don't have them." For some this also became a money making proposition, buying up baby formula, diapers, wipes and essentials that most households need to function. With dollar signs in their eyes, almost overnight ebay and marketplace sell sites had rolls of toilet paper going for $10 a pop and formula for as high at $150/canister. Fear and greed had taken the place of common sense.

Still, people roamed freely hoarding toilet paper by day and going to concerts, bars, restaurants and fighting crowds of people for more toilet paper by night. It was ridiculous and for those of us who refused to give into the fear and mass hysteria and only buy what we always bought and no more, we found ourselves shell shocked when we stepped into the grocery stores. It was as if we had walked into a post apocalyptic world where once fully stocked shelves were empty and people were wildly running up and down the aisles grabbing what was left just to fill their carts. All I could do was shake my head and go home. People seemed to have no understanding that all of these products were still being made, but in their frenzy, they have caused a demand that supply couldn't keep up with. Even online shopping dragged to a halt as many items were sold out across the country and in some cases, even world wide. And still with all of this, people coughed, sneezed and went out running fevers exposing the world to a multitude of germs. At least their bottoms were clean.....I hope. 

The government then started making self quarantining less of a suggestion and more of demand as they banned groups of 200 or more, then 50 or more, then 10 or more. Then real fear set in when our Spring Break turned into....."you will not return to finish the 2019-2020 school year." Never in my life time have I seen or heard of such a thing, and yet here we are. Graduating seniors have no end of school awards or graduation ceremonies. There was no basketball, track, soccer, baseball or any other spring and possibly summer sports. Kids are left to do distance learning and parents are left to make sure their kids do it so they can actually finish out their grade. Finally the governor told us that we could not congregate with six or more people and I began to worry who I was going to have to start kicking out of my house.

Ultimately, we were given a "Stay at Home," order and currently compliance has been about 30%. This is not totally the fault of the people though, as certain jobs have been deemed essential....medical staff, grocery clerks, truckers, restaurant employees, fire, police, EMS and the list goes on much further than you might imagine. It's hard to stay at home when you are deemed "essential." Thank God I am not!

Through all of this, I have watched wide eyed and a little lot disbelieving. I thought politics made people crazy, but this situation has by far surpassed crazy. When you have people in  abject fear of a situation, they begin to lose their ability to be rational and this makes people reactive instead of proactive. Of course with C-19, we left proactive on the side of the road a long time ago.

A few weeks back I was talking to one of Davids doctors and we were talking about David being in the hospital back in October. He had spiked a 105 temp and had a hacky cough. They tested him for numerous things (but not C-19 because it wasn't on our radar yet). They treated him with the usual high powered anti-biotics and after a five day stay in the hospital, he was released to go home with no real answers as to what caused it all. The doctor now believes that he and many others had C-19 before we even knew it was in the U.S. I stated this in a Facebook post I made, saying that I thought this might be the case for David. I had one, I am sure well meaning person, come back at me on how ignorant I was, thinking I could diagnose my son with C-19. She had no idea this wasn't "my" diagnosis or assertion. She is a very intelligent person so I was more than amazed and a little disappointed at her own ignorance. Again, though....I chalked it up to how crazy this virus has made us all.

Please don't get me wrong, I do see both sides of this situation. I understand the almost incapacitating fear of  something you can't see or control. None of us likes to feel powerless and when you fall into the category of very young, elderly or having a weakened immune system or you love someone that falls within these categories, the feeling of helplessness is overwhelming. Sometimes you can't help but react or over react just to feel some control. Add to that the news media produces nothing but negativity and fear mongering and many can't help but be anxiety and stress ridden and angry at everyone who isn't, viewing them as uncaring, rebellious, dangerous even and definitely part of the problem. Truly, I get it, but I also know that fear is as debilitating as any virus and the toll it takes on our minds, bodies and souls is just as deadly.

I also see the other side. There are many who view this as a convenient solution to topple a healthy economy. They distrust (with good reason) our news media and they are sick and tired of the doom and gloom on social media. Their lives have been disrupted along with their income, livelihood and security and they look at the actual numbers and see a much different story than is being played out 24/7 on every channel and every outlet. Most feel that "normal" precautions should be taken and many have even settled into the thought that self containment for two weeks to a month is doable, but dammit....they need toilet paper too as well as their normal weekly groceries and they see no reason to give into mass fear.

As in most cases, I don't think either side is absolutely right and I don't think either side is absolutely wrong. I think if we all just took a breath, paid attention to the REAL numbers, turned off the tv, put down our phones and took normal precautions, we might all just see this in a different light. I know without a doubt that we will weather this storm, but what damage might we have already caused in the midst of this chaos. Perhaps we have shown the rest of the world, our enemies included, that a good portion of us are a reactive and at times irrational people. In 2019 and 2020 we have already set some pretty dangerous political precedence's and now we are setting some dangerous socio-economic ones too. How long will we hold onto this distancing and the stay at home orders? How many of our small businesses will go under and some of our big ones too? How is this going to effect education? How many kids will simply not go back to school after this? How many will be adversely affected due to parents that don't insist on them doing their schoolwork and oversee them doing it? How many jobs will be lost because businesses can't afford to rehire? How many people will lose their homes because eventually even if  given a grace period, they will be expected to pay with a non-existent paycheck from a non-existent job? We have virtually stopped and set back the greatest nation in the world and we have to ask ourselves....was it really necessary or was it merely a knee jerk reaction? OR....was it something that none of us can even imagine?

So as I promised, I have given you the bad and the ugly, but believe it or not....there is also some pretty extra-ordinary good.

At the end of 2019, going into the beginning of 2020, we were a social media, celebrity obsessed world. We were busy, distracted and often times rather than socialize...even with our own families we chose technology and we handed our kids over to social media and video games like sacrificial lambs. We were self possessed, self absorbed and narcissistic. We were a world where fame was not earned but handed out as a participation trophy to anybody on YouTube, talented or not. Truthfully, we were a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah in very many ways. Then C-19 happened and a lot changed.

I was brought up to believe that something good always comes out of something bad and this situation is no different. Because we have been forced to self quarantine into containment, we have also been forced to spend time with our families. We get to see the kids our teachers have to deal with daily. We have gotten to see who is really "essential" in our world and who is merely hot air and decoration.

Since this containment, I have seen more people out riding bikes, walking and finding creative ways to visit and communicate than I ever dreamed imaginable. Families are actually getting to know each other and to do things together like playing games, cooking, crafts and simply watching movies together.

People have had to slow down and some I have heard, have even slept in a time or two as time means very little when you have no place to be. Suddenly our time is our own and we are working in the yard or garden, reading that book we have wanted to read or simply actually talked on the phone to people. We are writing letters, cleaning out closets and binge watching shows. We are having family meals and sitting on the porch waving at our neighbors as they walk by.

Communities are changing it up too. Restaurants are closed to dining, but they have curb side delivery and people especially in smaller communities are doing their best to support these businesses and keep them financially viable. Churches, which are also closed are finding new ways to reach their congregations and you can find services from any denomination online day and night. We are taking care of our bodies and souls.

My community decided to help lift the confinement blues and started a long forgotten tradition of  "dragging." Back in the day, we used to drag Main and Second which were intersecting streets. It was usually for teenagers with cool cars and nothing to do on a Saturday night. Well, currently we all are "kids" with some form of car that has nothing to do on a Saturday night. So with radios blasting and a reason for the girls to wear make-up again, my town is doing a Saturday night drag. We are social distancing with style and whole lot of fun.

Yes, as bad as this whole C-19 has been, in some ways it has been a blessing. It has made us step back and look at our lives, really see our families and realize what we loved about growing up and giving a bit of that back to our kids and grand kids. It has made us realize who really keeps our country running in tough times and to appreciate them more. It has brought out kindness in many and shown that even some of our BIG companies have a heart. We have seen a positive side to our world, our country, our cities and our small towns. We have begun to come together and fill a divide in our country that politics had created. We realized that the virus and the fear that goes with it has no political affiliation and does not discriminate by color, creed, ethnicity or financial status. We truly are all in this together and how we handle ourselves during all of this will be our legacy and show our kids and grand kids both our strengths and our weaknesses in times of trouble.

Me personally? Well, it has brought me closer to my faith. Perhaps it has been a multitude of life's lessons, or faith alone, but I have felt no fear during all of this. Fear has no room for faith and faith no room for fear. I have struggled to remember that my faith alone cannot change the world, so I try hard to be kind to others and empathize with their fears. As I said though, I have struggled and there continue to be life lessons daily for me. I am far from perfect and I still have much left to learn.....in good times and bad. 

So there you have it. My "good, bad and ugly," of C-19. Please don't feel you have to agree and please feel free to agree if you like. This blog post was for me......I didn't want to explode. So until next time....stay safe, stay happy, stay healthy and most of all....let's all do our best to be kind.



   

Measles....They're Baaaack

In the news, at least locally....the big headline maker is all of the cases of measles that are popping up both here and across the country. In my county alone a number of cases have made the news and most can be traced back to certain local restaurants. People are up in arms and with the start of school close at hand, many are voicing loud opinions about the necessity of kids being immunized before school is in session.

Now I know that for the last decade, there has been a huge controversy about childhood vaccinations. Some parents are adamant about their kids having every vaccine known to man to prevent problems on down the line. Other parents are just as adamant that their kids NEVER have a vaccine touch their bodies. Many feel these vaccines can lead to autism, severe reactions and in some cases.....even death. The other side of that coin is that these vaccines were developed to wipe out epidemic diseases such as polio, whooping cough and yes.....measles.

I was born post polio. By the time I came along this disease had been eradicated by the vaccine and it was commonly given to kids to prevent any outbreaks. In the 1960's, the measles vaccine was coming on the scene but I don't believe it was a mandatory vaccine (by medical profession standards) at the time. As I recall, the vaccines and boosters I got as a kid were for the diseases that had potentially chronic or fatal effects. In the 60's and 70's, kids still got measles and chicken pox and while not a particularly fun time, you coughed, ran a fever and scratched for 5-7 days and then went on with life. Usually in families with numerous kids, if one kid got it.....then the parents battened down the hatches and prepared for it to run its course through the house.

Now a days though, it is a different story. There are vaccinations for everything and kids get them from almost birth, clear up to their late teens. And yes, there have been many reports of reactions and even deaths from vaccines, but the opposing argument maintains that many lives have been saved and up until the last few years, most of the vaccinated diseases have been eradicated due to the vaccines.

With the current outbreak of measles and the disease spreading so quickly I do understand the schools not wanting to start in August with this hanging over their heads. Since vaccinations are not mandatory(parents can refuse to vaccinate their kids for numerous reasons) and a lot of parents are anti-vaccine then this could wreck havoc on a new school year. However, I really didn't think measles was that big of a deal (unless of course you are pregnant or your health was already compromised.) Since millions of kids survived the disease and thrived after having it long before there was a vaccine, I decided to see what measles was really all about. I myself have never had it. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen a case of it.

According to WebMD, measles can cause high fever, sore throat, coughing and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. It takes 8-12 days after exposure to come down with the disease and you are contagious from 4 days before the rash starts until 4 days after it stops. The whole disease lasts about 2 weeks and like any disease, it depends on the individual as to how bad the symptoms are. These are just the normal run of the mill symptoms. However, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), there can be side effects that are much more ominous and even deadly that go along with the measles virus. About 30% of  all those who get measles will have one of these sides effects.

The CDC states that 1 out of every 20 with the measles virus will develop pneumonia. This can be critical and even life threatening. One in ten will come down with a severe ear infection as a result of measles and in many this can lead to some form of permanent hearing loss. Severe diarrhea happens in about 8% of the cases and 1 in every 1,000 will come down with encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain) which can cause seizures, mental retardation and even death. In those with encephalitis, 2-3 out of every 1,000 will die. I always figured that the measles themselves would be no fun, but I didn't know that the side effects could be so damaging. In fact, I had no idea that measles even had side effects.

I am neither adamantly for or against vaccinating but I was vaccinated as a child and all my kids have been vaccinated. With David's health already being somewhat compromised, I was curious to know if even after getting the vaccine if you could catch measles during an outbreak. Again I went to the CDC and pulled up their Measles Fact Sheet. According to their info, if you are properly vaccinated with both doses, then 95 out of 100 who receive the vaccine will remain measle free. On the other hand, if you haven't had the vaccine and you are exposed, you will almost definitely get the disease.

So now we have a summer outbreak. As of May this year, the CDC had recorded a record high of 280+ cases. This was the largest number since 1994. The numbers have undoubtedly climbed since May as we are currently having new cases pop up right and left here in Kansas. What does this mean? Well luckily I haven't heard of any deaths related to measles and from what I have heard, the cases are simply running their course. I don't know if any cases have wound up in the hospitals but I did hear that the ER's are trying desperately to keep possible cases out of their waiting rooms.

I guess the question is.....are measles making a come back? Is the choice to not vaccinate going to end up being a death sentence for many in this or future outbreaks or will it be like the old days pre-vaccine, where most people caught it, suffered with it and came out on the other side?