Losing Sleep Over Covid-19

I am not panicking because of this damned virus. That being said, I am finding the situation troubling enough that last night I felt stressed out, same as I did during the most difficult of times in the past. I had trouble getting to sleep, and this morning found myself awake at 4:25. I haven't felt this way since retirement.

First and foremost, I'm worried about my parents. I don't know that they'll catch the virus, but if it spreads half as much as some of the worst projections indicate, my mom and stepfather will be in great danger. After much thought and considerable anxiety over the decision, I canceled our trip to visit this week so I can be sure I won't be the one who exposes them to it. But for them at 81, she'll be 82 this coming Friday, and 90, respectively, I don't know that they're capable of self-quarantine to the extent they'd need to to stay clear of it. I saw a news report last night in which the Governor of California has asked all people in his state over 65 to self quarantine. Meanwhile they're still going to the grocery, playing golf, dining socially with friends. Even if I were to drive over weekly to do their shopping so they could quarantine in place, I don't think they would at this point. Am I the only one worried about their parents this way?

Then there's my trip to Italy and cruise of the Mediterranean. Cancelled early of our own good sense, we were inconvenienced. But looking forward, I believe our travel plans for the next month or two have to change, too. We had been planning to drive up to Louisville, spend a week or so up there, then to drive back down with our granddaughter, and spend a week and half or so here with her, before bringing her back. While she was to be here we planned on a visit to mom's and a day trip to Disney, the Magic Kingdom. As of now, I'm sure Disney is off, I'm not even sure making two round trips driving is a great idea, either. I told Caroline last night if we drive up to see Harper and the kids, we'd likely be better off spending the week and a half up there and saving at least one round trip. Am I the only one who's worried about travel this way?

Then there's the economy. I feel like we're watching a train wreck in slow motion. This past weekend was just one announcement of either businesses cutting back in response to how the virus is affecting them, half empty airplanes and hotels, restaurants and bars, etc. On top of that, cruise lines canceling operations for a month, and various states announcing curfews and mandatory closures of restaurants and bars. As badly as my investments have been affected so far, I think the worst is yet to come. And as far as the business closures go, both self-imposed and government mandated, I see a terrible double-edged sword type dilemma leadership is facing making and mandating the closures: nobody in a leadership position can afford to under-react to the virus. If the worst projections did turn out to be true, and they contribute by under-reacting, the blaming and second guessing will be fatal to their business and political interests, on top of the toll in lives. And even if it's not as bad as predicted, these steps being taken to close up in case it is, are sure to ripple through the economy and put many businesses and livelihoods at risk. I'm worried about the worldwide economy being decimated as an outcome of this, no matter how the next 6 months or so plays out.

I'm more pissed off than worried by how some people are acting during this crisis. First, there are too many young adults who think it's no big deal and are doing their best to completely ignore it. It's not likely to kill a 30 year old man or woman, and they have to go on living, right? So there are some, even some WITH the virus, living life as if nothing is going on, nothing is changing. And maybe they're in the end going to be proven right. But I don't think so. It's pretty goddamned selfish to be ignoring this whole thing. "It ain't gonna kill me, so what the fuck?" Asshole! And then there's the second thing. Hoarding food, cleaners, hand sanitizers, toilet paper? I mean, damn. Stores are low on supplies, having to adjust hours, not only so they can clean the places up and try to sanitize, but to restock shelves, too. I just can't believe the selfish bastards. Some of the worst offenders are damned near criminal. I saw a story about a guy who had bought up 17,700 or so bottles of hand sanitizer to sell aftermarket after making significant price markups. There's something called entrepreneurial spirit, but there's also predatory price gouging. I worry that a crisis too often brings out the worst in people.

And then there's the politics. I can't stand the politics anymore. I'm angry about the politics and I should let it go, maybe laugh it off, but I can't. It's no joke. Has the Trump Administration been perfect 10's across the board on this? No, they haven't, he hasn't. The situation was, is, and will continue to be fluid. As the virus shifted from a threat to a pandemic, so too has the response. I felt much better about the way the situation was being handled after the briefing on Friday, but there's no stopping the political opportunists who, as the cliché says, "never let a good crisis go to waste". You can convince me that President Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton had she won in 2016, and either VP Joe Biden or Senator Bernie Sanders, if either of them was President, would have done different: more here, less there. But you can't convince me that any one of the four, if President right now, would have less cases of Covid-19 in our country right now. Sure, if you're one of their loyalists or supporters, you probably truly believe that would be the case. Well, for every expert you find who supports that notion, there's another somewhere who'll contradict them. And the bottom line is, it is what it is, and what it would be under some other 'hypothetical' president is unprovable. Our politics is poison, and a crisis forces us to drink some of it. It's disgusting.

So, what can I do, can we do, in addition to just losing sleep? Sure, wash our hands. Of course we can do and should do that. We can self-quarantine to the extent we can, employing social distancing. We can be nice and considerate to one another. We can call and check up on each other. We can heed the warnings and advice of our local, city, state, and federal government officials as best as we can. We can be stressed out, but have to find ways to stay calm, and to not panic. Losing sleep is one thing, freaking out and scaring people with off the wall conspiracy theories and fake news info is quite another. We need to take this damned threat seriously, look out for one another, but stay as calm and collected as possible. Road-raging and freaking out at the checkout at Walmart or Publix? It won't help. Hoarding 17,700 bottles of sanitizer? Nope. Not that, either.

I hope some of you got a better night's sleep than I did last night. Have a great day, friends. God bless.