Moments — I've always liked the story and wanted to share

A man was walking along minding his own business when inexplicably he fell into a hole, and as much as he tried, he just couldn’t get out. As he looked up he could see people walking by and started asking for help.

Soon after a doctor stopped. After assessing the situation he wrote out a prescription and threw it into the hole. “This should help”, he said as he walked away..

A little while later a religious man, after hearing his pleas, stopped. After some discussion, the religious man offered thoughts on the scriptures and how they can help. He looked to the heavens, nodded, and continued on his way.

As the man continued to watch people walk by he noticed a friend. “Hey friend”, he shouted, “Can you help me get out of this hole?” His friend, after hearing his request, jumped into the hole and landed right beside him.

The man looked at his friend and asked, “What did you do that for? Now we are both stuck in this hole!”

His friend looked at him and responded, “Yes we are… but I‘ve been here before, and I know the way out”

As I say, I’ve always liked this story and I will leave it up to you to decide if you want to share and discuss it on your next virtual cocktail hour.

Covid 19 has us all in the same hole, and for what it’s worth, this is the way out —

• Stay as healthy as you can. Exercise, eat well, and get lots of sleep.

• Work very hard to not to catch SARS-CoV-2 (It’s the virus that causes Covid-19)

  • Practice social distancing

  • Wash you hands often

  • Outside is better than inside. If you are inside with people who are not in your “virus free bubble” wear a mask.

  • Be patient.

• It’s important to be a friend.

Stay healthy and safe.

iamgpe

Reflections in crisis

“Do you think we are in a crisis?”

The answer came through the lens of a man who was born into the depression, knew what it was like not to have food on the table, survived polio, knew the impact of rationing on the home front, and from someone who had earned his wings as a paratrooper (with a couple of night jumps under his belt) — I think it’s safe to say a unique perspective by today’s standards.

His answer was ultimately, “No”.

There was an explanation that he’d never experienced anything like this before, and that not being able to get to his doctor’s appointments, unable to check in with the boys, unable to get ready for the upcoming golf season, and not wander to the store without concern of infection, was starting to weigh on him. A surreal situation that made it easy to loose track of time and difficult to pull away from the endless COVID 19 news. It was not a crisis from his perspective but then again something far from normal — something insidious that was draining both physically and mentally. Ultimately this question offers an insight into personal context and perspective because it’s very true to say front line healthcare workers or a family wrestling with the economic reality of a mortgage that’s due at the end of the month are very much dealing with a crisis.

This is an academic question that scratches at how we perceive the situation, are prepared for the situation, and how we are dealing with the situation. Covid 19 will follow the path of all infectious agents as it makes its way through the population, and as a community, we’ll work hard to change the trajectory of that curve by social distancing, good hygiene practices, and self isolation. Our actions are a direct effort to save lives and prevent our institutions from becoming overwhelmed — and are also a direct reflection of how we are handling this unprecedented situation. This is an inescapable reflection of who we are and our character in the face of a challenge. In the context of my small sphere I have seen people make re-usable face masks, donate to local food banks, help someone when they can’t make it to the pharmacy, and have watched people offer a supportive voice when the silence of self-isolation is deafening. All character traits to be emulated in my mind.

There are already whispers of us coming to the top of the curve, how we will turn society back on to something reflective of the way it used to be, and how the last eight weeks will echo into the next eight or nine months. We will all have a Covid 19 story that we’ll be eager to share or maybe just keep to ourselves upon reflection. As I mentioned to someone today we need to “gut this out for another three weeks” before we’re closer to having a conversation that doesn’t include a bubble of two meters. I will be very curious to ask what’s been learned for the next time.

Because most likely there will be a next time — probably around October or November.

iamgpe.

Tis the Season...

December is here, and if you’re operating to the calendar year, it’s a time when all your efforts for the past eleven months are coming to an end — a time of final pressures and final celebrations, and a time to prepare for new beginnings.

Without fail, no matter what I’m juggling, whenever I see a father and his daughter navigating the season I’m overwhelmed with a stream of cherished memories —

“What do you mean you don’t want to have your picture taken? But Sarah, we’ve been in line for thirty minutes. No please don’t cry; he’s really jolly, and he’ll give you a candy cane. Ok, ok… please just stop crying. Up you go”. Excuse us, sorry about that.”

“Yes, Santa Claus is coming soon. Want to go back and see him. No, please don’t cry. Ok, get down, you are getting too heavy.”

“Yes it is very pretty. Please don’t touch. Don’t touch. Ok, put it back”.

“He’s a holiday helper — no really. Here, take this and put it in the kettle. Ok, let me help, up you go. It’s the season for giving, say Happy Holidays.”

“I have no idea what to get your mom, we’ll figure it out later. Let’s get home and turn on the lights. Yes, they are very pretty — Tis the season.”

By my count there is twenty-eight days left to accomplish everything still needed to be done before a new year resets the clock — make sure it’s memorable.

iamgpe