Oh, where do I start? Where are we? Where are you? Let’s take a second to relax. One breath in through the nose. Hold it. Then out of the mouth. That’s literally all you need to do to make it just a little easier. The world is still turning and life will go on. That’s a fact. I wrote the previous lines last Saturday night after a full day of drinking. It might have been a reminder to myself but it is also a good reminder to many of us right now. Turn off the radio and TV for a while, put down your phone, and try to make the best of this time.

I rode through town yesterday specifically to pick up fishing tackle as I’ve taken up the new activity of fishing in the Grand Canal. Just one of many new hobbies. I made sure to keep my distance from the people around me but was intent on taking notice of everything happening around me. I think it will be important to remember the look and feel of these days for the betterment of our future selves. It was weird seeing so many shops closed and so few people walking the streets. A few music stores, bike shops, hardware stores, and the bait and tackle shop had their doors open. Very niche shops but in my opinion important. The grocery stores and chemists were open of course and some restaurants were providing takeaway and delivery only.

During stressful or uncertain times our basic need for food and medicine must be met but I think it’s easy to forget about the so-called non-essential needs that need some of the most attention. Mainly, our mental health. Music, hobbies, building, and exercising are all parts of life that I think we take for granted and that not only help take our minds off of our current situation but also allows us to release our creativity that might otherwise remain dormant. Communicate with your loved ones regularly any way that you can. It’s amazing what a check-in can do for you.

This is, no doubt, going to have major health and economic outcomes in the short-term and long-term which I could dig very deep into but which I won’t. That’s not the purpose of this post. I assume everyone has already been down that rabbit hole anyways with the extensive amount of content being fed to us on a minute-by-minute basis. As I’ve stated before I have a love for science fiction and specifically apocalyptic themes. I can’t help but flip through my brain catalogue as to what book this situation loosely reminds me of. One that came to mind was “Alas, Babylon” by Pat Frank. It takes place in an apocalyptic America in a small town in Florida during and after a nuclear attack from the Soviets. The point I want to make from this book was that the situation was extremely chaotic at first but people banded together in order to overcome the situation. It took time and energy. It’s a fictitious story and situation but, we can learn from it and take it into real life.

Certain businesses will close and others will be hit tremendously. The ones who will survive will find new ways of doing business. They will adapt, pivot, and move on. We as human beings will do the same. This is a huge learning experience for the world and all we can try to do is go forward. It will get worse before it gets better and it’s only human to be worried and scared but, it’s how we deal with those feelings that will allow us to move onward and upward. Stay positive.