A farmer’s thoughts and opinions about CoronaVirus
My top 8 thoughts about CoronaVirus:
- Social Distancing: This is My Forever and I’s jam. We’ve been social distancing like pros for a lot of years now. But there are a lot of people that are struggling with it. Be kind folks. Whether you love it or hate it, be nice. Send a text, email or call.
- Choice: You aren’t getting the choice whether to send your kids to school or whether you’re able to buy TP, but you get the choice about your attitude. There are a lot of things out of our control, but you can control your attitude.
- Quit being selfish asshats: If we had a penny for every time somebody said this is being blown way out of proportion, it’s just a cold, we’d be trillionaires. (Is that even a thing? Spell check doesn’t think so). The people that are saying this are young and healthy – the demographic that is least likely to get sick. But how many of you have a grandparent, neighbor, mentor or touch things in Walmart? We can give it to somebody that isn’t going to be able to fight it.
- Feelings: Whether you think this is all a big joke or you’re deathly scared, your feelings are justified. You are allowed to feel what you are feeling. You are allowed to sit in it and feel it. You are allowed, even, to post it on your social media accounts. You are allowed. What I’m going to ask you to do, is feel your feelings, tell people your feelings if you want to, but quit making other people’s feelings less important. You are allowed yours, they are allowed theirs.
- Forced Family Time: Families that are complaining about having to be together. Not having schools or daycares to send their children. Y’all you have been given a gift. Use it. Love on your babies. Make the memories from your home. Quit griping about how unfair the world is and show those babies how lucky we are.
- Washing Hands: I’ve had a couple conversations with people about how gross people are that don’t wash their hands constantly. Then I look at my own hands. I grew up on a farm. Sometimes water and soap aren’t available in the middle of the hayfield you’ve been in all day. Sometimes you’re starving and don’t have anything in the cattle pasture to wash with. I’ve been taught that life goes on. Wipe it off as best as you can and give your immune system a huge boost. Do your best people. Wash your hands, don’t touch your face as much as you can. Practice basic hygiene, but don’t cause mass panic.
- Stockpiling: It’s all a big joke that we can’t get toilet paper. We’ve been told to stay home as much as possible. The first case has been confirmed in our county. Whenever I go to the store the next time, I’ll probably get a few extra things, or try anyway. Be as kind as you can. Get what you need. And remember, it hasn’t been too many years ago that people were getting by with far less and sacrificing far more. We will survive.
- This too shall pass: 2% death loss doesn’t seem like much until it’s your family member that is part of it. There will be people that die and there will be people that live. The living will move on with their own scars. Moral of the story: be nice, do what you need to do with integrity, give grace.