THE CORONAVIRUS VS THE AMERICAN SPIRIT

Other than the centenarians among us, none of us has been through an experience like the one the novel COVID-19 virus has us enduring.

At the moment, there 5,999,462 confirmed cases and 183,083 deaths in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. By the time you read this, both numbers will have increased.

Our lives are at risk, and that, my friends, is a scary and unnerving place to be.  Lest you think I am unfamiliar with having my life at risk, let me just say that in the early 1970s I was held at gunpoint for nearly two hours before I escaped. In 1984, I was not as fortunate. I was held up at gunpoint and shot. So, be assured, I know what it is like to be scared for my life. It is okay to be afraid, don’t let it scare you. It’s hard not to be when facing a perpetual threat to life.

There are, sadly, those who mistakenly believe the virus is not real and others who believe it is the result of some secret plot perpetuated by the villainous among us. I suspect it is easier for those folks to believe those myths than it is to face and fully digest the danger they are in.

No doubt many of you are going through emotional and physical symptoms and thoughts that you’ve never been through before. To think these things means there is something wrong with you would be understandable, but, in the eyes of this layperson, wrong. You’ve never been through this before which means the experience you are in has never had reason to take place before. In fact, the newness of this experience means we are normal.

I dare say if any of us saw Mount Everest in person, we’d experience an awe we’d never felt before.

Be kind to yourself, and patient with yourself. And remember, taking care of you is not an act of disloyalty to anyone else.

Stay safe, and be well. We are the American family; it is time to take care of ourselves and each other. That, my dear reader, is the American Spirit.