Coronavirus

It’s a heavy topic for a first “official” post, but it needs to be discussed. The past few months have been difficult for everyone; not just difficult, but unprecedented. None of us have lived through an epidemic of this scale. Even my former-nurse grandmother told me that she hasn’t seen anything like it. Some of us have gotten sick; some have lost livelihoods or, Heaven forbid, a loved one. If we haven’t been touched personally in this way, we are living with the fear that we will be soon. We’re worried about our friends and family, whether we’ll be able to pay rent this summer, and the long-term repercussions on a society that wasn’t prepared to shut down. How do we handle this? How do we manage to cope without breaking down from the strain?

First of all, it might be helpful to remind ourselves that there are some things we can control, and some things we can’t. You cannot control whether you get coronavirus. If you are taking common-sense measures to protect yourself and others, you’ve done what you could, now it’s time to let go of the outcome. I fully realize that this can be hard. Infectious disease is a uniquely frightening thing. It can make you afraid to leave your home, to stand near others, even to breathe. However, keep in mind that even if you do get coronavirus, you will most likely live. According to the latest reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you contract coronavirus and are 85 years old or older, you have a 10-27% chance of death. That means you have over a 70% chance of recovery. If you are younger and have no underlying health conditions, your chances are that much better. I say this not as an excuse for carelessness, but to provide perspective.

Remember also that never, at any point in your life, have you been “safe”. You weren’t safe before coronavirus, and you won’t be safe after it becomes a distant memory. There are a thousand things in this world that can cause you bodily harm. We don’t like to think about it, but it’s true. Driving can kill you if you get in a crash, cooking raw chicken can kill you if you get food poisoning. We all have to come to terms with how we cope with mortality in a dangerous world. Maybe this pandemic can be an opportunity to gently probe our hearts and do our best to resolve these fears. Don’t think of it so much as giving up control as recognizing the fact that we’ve never been in control to start with.

My advice for getting by day-to-day is to find joy in the small things. I have been much more at peace with the situation since I gave myself permission to be distracted. Thinking every minute of the day about coronavirus does nothing to protect you. Turn off the news if you have to. Instead, walk into the backyard and pick flowers for your tabletops. Read that long book you’ve been meaning to read. Take a trip to the store and buy peaches and cream for dessert tonight. Brainstorm practical ways to help your neighbors in need. Pray and think about this Bible verse from the book of Jeremiah: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”