Making Peace with the Coronavirus
The events of the last few days have convinced me that the Coronavirus should be taken seriously. Rather than panicking, though, I’m looking for the bright side of COVID-19.
Please note that I’m not making light of a serious – and likely to get more serious – situation. I just know that, other than taking precautions in my own corner of the world, there’s little I can do to keep the disease from running its course.
Here’s how I suggest we make the best of the Coronavirus:
Think of all the money you’re saving by not eating out. If you’ve been trying to spend less money at restaurants, this is the incentive you’ve needed to cook at home. Try out some new recipes (my favorite new cookbook is Cool Beans, a collection of innovative, delicious recipes using the humble bean), stock up your freezer, and think of all the money you’re saving!
Catch up on all those books you’ve been meaning to read. With public health officials advising us all to avoid crowds and enclosed spaces, conferences, concerts, and vacations are being cancelled at a rapid clip. This could get very boring, very soon. But if you’re like me, you have a bookshelf of books you’ve been meaning to read, and now you finally have the time to do it. If you’re looking for some pandemic-themed reading, I recommend Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen, and Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright.
Take in some local nature. OK, so you don’t get to travel to Hawaii, or Iceland, or the Canadian Rockies. But you probably have some beautiful nature within an hour of your home, and you won’t have to get on any crowded, germy airplanes to enjoy it. Just Google “hikes near me” and the omniscient robot that knows more about you than you know about yourself will give you a list of nearby hiking spots.
Less traffic! Maybe! Many employers are encouraging their employees whose jobs can be performed remotely to prepare to work from home. So, with any luck, that 30-minute commute will be knocked down to a 20-minute commute.
You’ve been meaning to prepare for an emergency, right? Now is a good time to make sure you have at least a few weeks’ worth of non-perishable food in your house. After all, crowded grocery or warehouse stores, with their grimy shopping carts and virus-laden key pads, are an ideal place to catch something nasty. Stock up now on the basics and be ready to lay low and feed yourself from your pantry for a while.
Forced relaxation. With conferences, meetings, concerts, and parties likely to be cancelled, it’s a good time to re-connect with those under your own roof. Especially if your kids’ school has been cancelled, you may have no choice.
Do what you should be doing anyway. Most people really phone it in when it comes to washing their hands. Now is an ideal time to brush up your hand-washing game. The CDC has some good instructions. Make sure, as well, that you’re generally taking care of yourself so that your immune system has a fighting chance. Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and veggies, avoid processed garbage, stay hydrated, get plenty of sleep, and manage your stress. That’s good advice year-round, but when there’s a pandemic staring you in the face, it could be a lifesaver.
Be grateful for the internet. In 1918, when the Spanish Flu killed 50 million people worldwide, information spread so slowly – and was even censored for fear it would hurt morale during WWI – that most people had no idea they were at risk of such a deadly disease, let alone the resources to combat such a killer. Today, information spreads at lightning speed, and there are more communication tools than ever to help people around the world stay healthy. The hands-down winner in this effort is Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, which created an infectious (no pun intended) song and animation advising citizens how to avoid the virus. The song was such a hit that it inspired a dance challenge on TikTok. You should definitely check it out.
Seriously, take care of yourselves out there.
#OnlyJoy and #WashYourHands