April 15, 2020

Stuck

For most of the country, the epidemic still seems more theoretical than real. People are getting restless, wanting to get the economy going again, worrying about money and jobs, feeling lonely and isolated, stress is rising. Anger, too.

For those in New Orleans or Detroit or New York City, the epidemic is all too real. Deaths are still rising. And in other pockets of the country, COVID-19 is showing its face. Often these are areas with some of the most vulnerable people, like the Native Americans. For the Navajo, this will be devastating, Their available health care does not have enough resources. The same for other tribes scattered across the country. A South Dakota meat packing plant is a hot spot as well. At this point the virus is affecting some of the most vulnerable and health care workers more than other groups.

Conspiracy theories and false claims abound, at the same time our understanding of the virus changes too. How can we tell the difference?

We are in as vulnerable a time as we have ever been as a nation, divided, separated, and afraid. The more we understand about our situation the more we can affect the outcome. This is not about, and should not be about, politics. This is about protecting everyone. It is the right thing to do. The sooner we lower transmissions and get more testing capacity, we can start to get out again. We need more testing to do it safely. This can help us avoid a second wave, and open up the economy again.

At the same time that anger and frustration are building, much of it based in fear, others are blown away by the kindness and caring of others. Ultimately, kindness and beauty will help get us through these hard times.

And I am “Going with Grace”

Wash your hands,

And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.

going_with_grace

DEATH IS NOT A FAILURE. I’ve been noticing how the language around the coronavirus deaths largely also lists their co-morbidities—they list allllllll of the other things ‘wrong’ with their body. I can't tell if it is an effort to make us feel ‘better’ that we aren't that ill or a suggestion that their lives are disposable. They are NOT. And death is not a failure. It simply means life has ended and the body did not respond to treatment. And when I die someone better not say it's because I didn't do enough squats.

Thank you for giving me a minute of your life to think about the end of it ⏳💜🙏🏿🤸🏿‍♀️ ps. send hugs.

April 14, 2020

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/04/04/native-american-coronavirus/

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/south-dakota-meat-plant-is-a-coronavirus-hot-spot/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-fake-news.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/us/coronavirus-testing-trump.html