What We Can Control

What a difficult time we are in. The fear of coronavirus is normal. The rational and irrational responses to the threat are real. This will be a very bumpy road, with a beginning, a middle and an end, but we will get through it. 

Michael and I have lived through HIV, SARS, Ebola, and H1N1. Our boys are living through their first invisible enemy that they’re old enough to understand. Someday they will tell their children what this pandemic was like—their school and sports disrupted, only seeing their friends online. 

Fear is contagious. A lack of accurate information provides more range for our emotions to go off track. Since coronavirus is so unpredictable, we go to extremes to try and control a situation that is largely out of our control. We can’t help what we feel, and we become anxious by what we see and read. 

But we can take charge of the spread of this virus by adhering to doctors’ recommendations about social distancing and lots of handwashing. This is the time for us to bond with family and appreciate the health that we have. My uncle used to say, “Your health is your wealth.” This statement could not ring truer than it does now.