Changing Gears

We are learning to live in a new reality. As our normal daily schedules continue to be impacted by new ways to mitigate this current health threat, several things come to my mind.

We have always washed hands after touching anything from outside. My Dad worked in an agricultural business; I learned early about salmonella and wash my hands after handling raw eggshells.

Handwashing is a way of life for us - always has been. Now we are hypervigilant; we have hand sanitizer in our cars, we keep a container of Chlorox wipes on our kitchen counter, we wipe down door handles, light switches, locks, faucets, remotes, phones… anything and everything. Like most everyone I know, our hands are scrubbed raw.

We have taken the advice of healthcare professionals by keeping our distance, we have a plan for what happens if one of us is ill. We worry not only about picking up a viral infection oursleves, but about unwittingly spreading it to friends or family, especially those who are vulnerable to the ravages of this pandemic. We simply don’t have reliable facts. Our government is not very forthcoming or truthful in this regard, nor does the federal government seem very knowledgeable. I have an unprecedented distrust of the information coming from it.

There is an old John Wesley quote that applies now. It gives me some measure of comfort, because it is all I have to offer:

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.

As we move through the next days and weeks, and perhaps months, this is the truth that guides me. Stay healthy my friends.