Like many, I was dismayed to see President Trump inciting unsafe protests across the nation. Keeping with his me-first mantra, he tweeted in ways that inspired these protestors to put their lives at risk. As I looked at the many overweight, older male protestors, I felt both angry and sad. I was angry that some Americans feel that they are above the health and safety of all all Americans--these people clearly don't read or regard the details about this pandemic with care. If they did, they would understand how the disease spreads quickly and puts so many lives in danger, lives including the lives of the doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who care for us. I was also sad because these people are truly creating danger for their own lives, the lives of those they love, and lives of strangers too--they create an unsafe situation for all of us and this is sad.
Clearly the economic impacts of this pandemic are frightening too, but I believe if we handle the pandemic with intelligence, we'll be back on track economically sooner than later, but if we don't regard the expertise of scientists, the economic hit will be much greater. The protesters, like President Trump, are short sighted--they choose for the day and not for the future. The Trump team has done that again and again which has put our country in danger. Their short sighted policies that pollute the planet, widen the wealth gap, inflame international relations, and elevate the deficit are all examples of the shoddy foundation he's created for the United States--a foundation that quickly crumbled in the face of the pandemic because of President Trump's ignorant, self-serving, short sighted efforts rather than deep, intelligent decisions that maintain our country's strength for the long run.
What are my plans for the days ahead as I respect the decisions and leadership of intelligent state leaders and national scientists and medical experts.
Gardening
Creating backyard and container gardens.
Teaching
Finding ways to best support students as I work with colleagues and family members.
Family
Supporting family members by preparing meals, staying in touch, and planning for good times and good events ahead.
Looking Ahead
I hope that we'll still be able to get together for special summer events in August, and I hope that my son will be able to go back to college in the fall. So I'm planning for those events. I also have a large number of home projects that I'm working on--these projects will serve us well in the future. The projects include cleaning and organizing rooms in the house, photo albums, the yard, and more. Later when life is busy again, I'll be happy that I did this work.
The theme for me during this COVID-19 time is to find the silver linings--look for the light in the dark. I'll continue to coach myself forward in that direction. Onward.