Six Months Into Covid - My Report

 I first must thank God that my wife and I have to date not been infected by Covid 19.  My spouse and I had traveled to New Orleans in mid February just as Mardi Gras was starting up.  We then departed New Orleans for a 7 night cruise during the height of Mardi Gras.  As we boarded the cruise ship, the concerns at that time were only for those people who had traveled to China in the past few months.  We still religiously washed our hands while on the ship and practiced extensive safe hygiene.  After we returned home from the cruise reports started to come in that Covid 19 was rampant in New Orleans due to the close crowd contacts during Mardi Gras.

In early March the virus began it's spread throughout the United States.  As it spread more our normal activity of eating out in restaurants came to a halt in the second week of March.  I experienced my first view of a grocery store nearly being empty of food during my first shopping spree during the initial hoarding and panic by those with a selfish nature. Unlike the present, grocery stores had not prepared a policy on limiting the amount of items customers could by during pandemic conditions.  There  were shortages of many common household items normally found in stores.

Normal activities of going to the store, a restaurant, movie theater, retail stores, became a hazard as the virus was spreading through human contact.  People were finally advised to stay at home and then to wear a mask if you had to go out.

During the past months my wife and I have been allowed to stay Covid free.  The impacts of Covid on our lives has mostly been in the area of reduced ability to eat inside restaurants and to participate in entertainment adventures we had become accustomed to.  We did not lose a job, nor have we faced any economic losses. Unlike the 170,000 people who have died from Covid related illnesses, we have been very fortunate to have prospered somewhat during Covid.

Although I had already been lead by God to plan on just saving money this year and reducing travel and entertainment expenses, Covid definitely helped to ensure I could not travel anywhere for entertainment this year! The money I would have spent on travel and entertainment went towards the purchase of property in the state of Florida, a state I have visited over 40 times in the past 30 years.  During Covid I was able to direct funds into purchase of the new property and at the same time pay off debts I had incurred in the past months.  That resulted in all of my credit cards being at zero balance by the time we closed on the new property.

The primary negative event during Covid was the death of my mother at age 89.  She had suffered from the ravages of Alzheimer's for 3 years.  I was able to see her for the last time just before Covid ramped up.  To show you how God is there when you especially need him, my back and forth battle with the Veterans Affairs over benefits she had deserved to get since 2018 was settled during Covid at the exact time when the funds were needed to help pay for 24 hour homecare for her.  She received a $15,000 retroactive payment a month before she passed away.  Those funds were instrumental in allowing her to have quality care during her last month of life.

I continue to practice safe habits during this Covid season.  I wear a mask whenever I go out to stores and when I am around people in general.  I do not understand the refusal of some people to wear a mask.  It just shows respect for humanity and the fact that we are fragile.  I do wonder if the people refusing to wear a mask even believe in God?  Their behavior to me does not reflect a fear of God or a respect for the people God created.

I only flew on an airplane once during Covid.  That was to attend the funeral of my mother.  It was an eerie experience.  One plane was only half full and the airports were  nearly deserted.  Most of our human entertainment/idolization activities have come to a halt.  Cruise ships, sporting events, movies, museums,  concerts.  All of our monuments to our self and our care free behaviors have been put on hold.  We have been given the opportunity to redirect our activities elsewhere.  I have used my free time for getting more into the Word of God and focusing on improving my spirituality and seeking a life after this life.  There is eternal life through God.  The pleasures of this world are truly temporary.  All the fun activities I experienced before Covid were great, but they are gone and are now just memories.

I have decided to seek a future after my worldly death.  So I try to abide by the principles expressed in the bible regarding what our human behavior should be like while we are on this earth.  The human goals of wealth, fun, and "nothing should be kept from me" I no longer believe in.  Their are limits set by God on our behavior.  Abide by those rules and have everlasting life.  Do not abide by the rules and live your "heaven on earth" will have dire and negative consequences.

I can not explain why each of the 170,000 people who have died from Covid 19 had to leave life via the impacts of Covid.  I pause out of respect for the pain family members experienced in losing a loved one.  I only know that Covid did modify my behaviors.  It kept me out of places I did not belong in, and focused me in a direction that provides potential for long term positive results.  It has sharpened my spirituality and ironically brought financial blessings and better health to my life.

There is no promise that I will escape the ravages of Covid 19.  This I know. For now I do have a peace and understanding of life that I truly did not have before Covid 19.  Stay safe and seek God during these times.

Lessons Learned During This Virus Season

Things I've noticed during this corrective virus season.

1.  I don't miss my sports idols and sports shows that served as distractions from life.  They truly were just distractions and things not necessary in my life.  NBA, Major League Baseball, etc.  Just Something to do and sometimes a waste of time and money.

2.  I don't miss going out to watch movies in Theaters. Again just discretionary stuff to do.

3.  I have enjoyed using my spare time to get more into the Bible and apply what I read to my life.

4.  I have contacted family more.

5.  I can live without eating out at restaurants.

6.  I am saving money and buying less discretionary items (more than I already was saving).

7.  I do not miss "news" correspondents running to black athletes for the "black" leader opinion on social issues.  I didn't give any athlete permission to speak for me just because they are professional sports athletes. Why do European American news reporters always run to black athletes for opinions on social issues?  Ask a common black man like me.  Or are you afraid to?

8.  We have an un Godly government that doesn't even think about prayer or God when a crisis arrives.  In general, to government it's all about the human solutions.

9.  We as people are truly ignorant of history and the Bible to understand that life and events repeat themselves.

10.  Some people do try to do acts of kindness in a crisis despite the general evilness of this world.

The Virus Chronicles Days 30-32

I spent the weekend mostly in isolation with my spouse.  In normal times I tend to avoid going out among crowds anyway.  So this behavior was nothing new.  I continued to work on my hobbies and follow my retirement routine.  This is definitely quality time for my interests.  We streamed in church service Sunday morning which basically was just 11 minutes of music followed by the taped sermon from our pastor.  Between streaming a few episodes of a favorite TV show and watching a movie on Netflix, boredom did not set in.  I have a 1000 page plus book on Ulysses S. Grant to occupy my reading time.

This morning I venture up to the local Kroger's to purchase some food items we needed.  Kroger's had it organized well.  7 a.m. to 8 p.m. was shopping for senior citizens.  Inside food was pretty much available, even meat items.  Seafood seems to be the main item unavailable.  That and Jiffy Mix to make corn bread and other baked items.  It seems like self service checkout was the only option available.  I was in and out of the store in about 30 minutes total.

I have an ongoing battle with Kroger due to the brand deserting black neighborhoods and leaving behind food deserts.  Now people in black communities have to travel far to find food.  In the past a local Kroger serviced our needs.  The community I live in now must be 90 plus percent European American.  So they have 2 Kroger's within 4-5 miles of each other.  Today I basically took advantage of Kroger being there.  My primary choice, Meijer's has not been as organized as Kroger's was this morning.  Maybe they will also institute special hours for us over 60 year old crowd.

This begins the second full week of the ramped up concern about the Corona virus.  The new conferences of President Trump continue to be a laundry list of rambling facts or pretend facts.  I wish he would just do a general summary and then let his staff go into the details of everything.  This is the person YOU all elected President.

The Virus Chronicles - Day 29

I visited the local grocery store the past two days.  Today there actually was some bread on the shelves.  I did the correct thing and only picked up one loaf of bread, not hoarding.  Red meats were still non existent in the meat department.  Same for the seafood area.  The parking lots for the two grocery stores near me were almost full.  I chose not to go into the second store while on the way to pick up a carry out pizza from a local restaurant.

The rest of the day was spent at home in social distancing.  Still plenty to do.  Reading, writing, household chores.  Watching dvd's for entertainment.

The national news was the same.  Despite knowing what China and Italy have gone through, the major news networks are acting as if what is going on in these United States is  a shocking event.   Lesson learned.  When a foreign country actually closes down its cities, the crisis is serious.  Now the United States finds itself being humbled and joining what happens in third world countries.

I do worry about family members, some who do have existing medical conditions that would make them susceptible to the virus.  As with China, now we will see how much improves or worsens over the  next 30 days.

The Virus Chronicles - Day 28. Putting the Impact of Corona into Perspective Historically

I have taught myself  to only watch 5 minutes of news programs in general and less than that during this virus "crisis".  After that the worthiness and value of the information becomes doubtful.  Then the "news"  becomes repetitive and turns into an entertainment/drama/reality show  mini-series.

To get an idea of how serious this corona virus is compared to past historical outbreaks, I started doing some research.  As of this writing there have been over 7,000 cases of Corona reported in the United States with approximately 114 deaths.

Their have been greater epidemics in the United States.  The statistics below provide examples.

The first recorded, and the one most people of European American ancestry do not want to remember, is the small pox outbreak in this land in the 1600s.  The disease was brought to the yet to be established United States by European Americans.  It impacted the Native American population which ranged from 7 to 10 million in numbers.  It is estimated that over 70% of the Native American population in this country died from small pox.  In some cases tribes of Native Americans were purposely infected by European Americans through gifts of infected blankets.  It was a campaign of genocide.

In 1793, over 5,000 people in the United States died from yellow fever.

From 1832-1866 in the United States, two out of six people died per day from cholera.

In the early 1900's, over 10,000 people per year died from typhoid fever.  One of those was my paternal great grandmother in the state of Arkansas.  Poor living conditions for black people in Arkansas contributed to the spread of typhoid.

In 1918 over 675,000 Americans, including my paternal great grandfather, died from the Spanish flu.

Between 1921-1925 over 15,000 people died in the United States from Diptheria.

Over 3,000 people died from polio in 1952.

There have been other outbreaks including various strains of the flu each year.

A man made cause of death we also seem to forget is that during World War II, the Holocaust atrocities committed against those labeled Jews, resulted in the deaths of some 6 million people.

Lastly, the impact of the slave trade is estimated to have killed 10 million to 60 million Africans.

Yes, any death from the Corona virus is unfortunate and regrettable.  But, let us not forget the facts of the past.  If you had your choice would you rather get Corona or typhoid fever?  Would you trade Corona for the opportunity to be assigned to a  Jewish death camp in World War II?  Would you trade Corona for the opportunity to be enslaved in the United States prior to 1865?

Step back, look at the facts, and reassess your fears.  God is in control.

Matthew 6: 25-34 "Do not worry about everyday life. Whether you have enough food and drink.  Life is more than food and clothes.  Do birds store food in barns?  God feeds them!  Can worrying add a single moment to your life?  Have faith!  God has always provided.  Seek the kingdom of God above all else. Live righteously. God will give you everything you need."

The Virus Chronicles - Day 26

The Virus Chronicles Day 26.  The only person I have seen close up and in person in the past 2 days has been my spouse.  I did go over to the local clubhouse fitness room yesterday morning to do a 45 minute workout.  I ensured no one else was in the room first.  I am not sure what someone else would have done if they had walked in and seen me working out.  Maybe they would have left fearing breathing the same air in the enclosed room.  As I was in the room I saw several cars entering and leaving the complex.  Life was continuing.  It was a cold day so I did not see anyone in our complex walking around.

Back inside my home I had plenty to do to keep me occupied.  The internet still works so I was able to stream in some television shows to pass time for a few hours.  Also, we streamed in church service and did our Sunday School lesson together.  We have ample food in the house so there was no need to go out to order anything.  I had done my last shopping a week ago after stocking up on household supplies a week before then anticipating the eventual panic buying that started last week.

This social distance period does provide a lot of time to work on personal hobbies and interests.  I check the news off and on via my cell phone to catch the latest updates.  I have contacted a few older family members to ensure all are well.  I have plenty of time to read, write, listen to music, and talk to my spouse, when her face is not into her television shows!  Beyond that life is normal.

Even before the virus scare came on I had cut back my social interaction and general spending, as I am directing my efforts and  money into a life style improvement later this year.  So the changes in getting out of the house have not been drastic.  I do have a quick out of town trip planned next week and will find out what type of travel restrictions or safe social distancing practices are created by the airlines by then.

In my family genealogy, two of my great-great-grandparents were killed by the typhoid fever and Spanish flu in the 1920s.  Back in those days the living conditions in the state of Arkansas, especially for poor black people contributed to poor health conditions that facilitated the spread of those illnesses.  Jump forward some 100 years and we see that social freedoms and poor individual sanitary practices are assisting in spreading the current virus.  As back then, the government did not have a plan that could prevent widespread contagious conditions.  We need to learn from history.