Early on in this “stay at home” policy, I noted that it seemed we were being required to do this in two week increments.  I’m not sure if that deadline is meant to encourage us to be optimistic that this is a short term thing, or if it’s a compassionate way to stretch out an inevitably long shutdown.  It’s kind of like placating a child and telling them it will be over in a little while.

For those who are extroverts, this could be cause for great frustration.  Those who prefer to be alone are wallowing in it.  Those of us who are dinosaurs and technology is a new fangled thing, designed to drive us up the wall, have become a little more tech savvy with the onset of this “stay at home” restriction.  As a matter of necessity, we have become whizzes at scrolling, even with arthritic fingers. Those of us who make our living in the arts are using creativity to come up with new ways to teach, present, sell and display their wares online.

Even with the good that often results from disaster, there are some set backs.  We’ve become accustomed to having an abundance of everything.  The COVID19 virus is causing fears that there will not be enough and many are hoarding food, paper products, survival item, etc.  We’re told that meat is going to be in short supply very soon.  Farmers are having to take a loss because there are no packers to process their cows, pigs and chickens.  What did people do before mass production?

I’ve been trying to get creative with cooking and have been posting photos of some of my creations, but I may have to go vegan in a couple weeks.  This is the perfect time to do so with summer right around the corner and fresh produce available at the farmer’s markets – if they’re allowed to open them.  Still, we must think of positive ways of turning negative situations into new ways of doing things.

Two weeks isn’t such a long time until it turns into eight weeks, ten or twenty weeks.  I heard rumors of the State Fair closing and no baseball games will be held in our recently built coliseum for such events.  Will two weeks extend into two years?  How long will it take for us to get rid of this plague?  Will other plagues arrive on our doorsteps in two weeks?  Oh, my goodness.  We’re all gonna die!

Well that’s about the only truth to all of this that I can see.  We’re all gonna die – eventually.  It most likely won’t be from COVID19 or influenza or pneumonia.  It may come quickly as the result of an accident, a blood clot or aneurism.  We may suffer with a painful disease that saps us slowly from the living.  Whatever the case, we will die.  We can count on it.  Still, while we’re here, living should have purpose.  Living should mean sharing, giving, loving, doing for others, having compassion, building each other up, encouraging, being willing to give our all for those we love and for those we don’t even know.

I know that sounds idealistic.  It was taught over two thousand years ago, by a man who gave His life to save the entire world from eternal death.  There were plagues and pestilence in His time in history.  What did the people do then?  They made the best of it, because they didn’t have a choice.  Maybe we need to get to that point again.  It may only take two weeks.  Who knows?

 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”  Galatians 6:9