It’s pretty safe to say that we’re all impacted by the coronavirus outbreak now. Many of us are either working from home, or not working at the moment. If we are still fortunate enough to have a paycheck coming, we are concerned about how long that can be sustained for. The kids are off school, or being schooled online. Driving parents crazy in the process! We all have someone that we’re worried about. I have immediate family working in healthcare that I worry about. Family members in foreign countries. And I have moments of anxiety about how I might fare, should I contract the virus. Worry is not conducive to losing weight!

I went, alone, to my favourite big box store last Saturday. They had people at the door, wet wiping the carts for us. And yes, they were antiviral wipes too. I checked. Surprisingly, it might have been a little quieter than a typical Saturday. The shelves were well stocked & the pallets of additional inventory were piled ceiling high. The toilet paper was out of stock though! I filled my cart & went home. Only to be asked if I thought I was out shopping for Christmas!

I’m not allowed to go there alone anymore. Oops! 🤪😁

Yeah, I guess I hadn’t made all good choices for a lockdown. Though cookies & chocolate are good for the soul, aren’t they! I hope I’m not just looking for an excuse to break my diet this month. Though I am struggling to resist comfort food at the moment. I really don’t like baked beans all that much. But I found myself giving in to sausage, beans & chips last night. A favourite from my childhood. Funny, eh?

That said, & despite how terrible this whole situation sometimes feels, there are some great things going on too. Our neighbours are braving the outbreak to show up for work in healthcare, transit services, law enforcement, food supply & a host of other services that are essential for us to get through this. There are acts of kindness being committed that warm the heart. Companies paying people that aren’t working. Landlords forgiving rents. These are not just legal entities, there are kind people there. Hordes of people are volunteering to work at shelters, deliver food, help neighbours. A small tire shop in my old home town offered his time & his van to local charities. Opera singers doing their thing on their balconies. A guy dropping roses on people’s porches on the news this morning. There are a million ways to show kindness. To be nice. And to preserve out faith in humankind & in each other. Besides, just being nice makes us feel so much better.

I remember that wonderful feeling of immortality that comes with being young. Hey, it wasn’t that long ago! It would really help if the young crowd could brandish their immortality online. Instead of on the streets, the bars, & the beaches. I get it. And yes, I’d love to be as bulletproof as you. I am truly envious. But please protect the older folk in your family & neighbourhoods by not doing that just yet. Next time around, we’ll hopefully have vaccines & medication that will fight this thing. But this time, we need to slow it down & manage things a little more carefully. Please.

#PleaseProtectGrandma … & all the grandpas out there!

Hey, if you are a bit less emotional about all of this, try doing something practical that helps. I dunno, maybe buy a few shares in your favourite company & help prop up the market!

At month’s end, I’m not sure how the bathroom scale will be influenced by the coronavirus thing. But I might be more forgiving of my results this one time.

❤️ to all, take care out there.