Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Virus - Updated

My Instagram feed is full of virus-related musings; here's some of what I'm seeing:
Barack Obama taking an HIV test in 2006.⁣ ⁣ To repeat the words on a Twitter post by @davidaxelrod: ⁣ ⁣ “In 2006, then Sen. @BarackObama and @MichelleObama took an HIV test at a mobile clinic in Kenya to encourage others to do the same. In matters of public health and much more, leaders can set a good example. Or not…”⁣ ⁣ I’ll add that as you can see in the third photo, he did this in front of thousands of people to really call attention to the enigma of what an HIV test entailed. ⁣ ⁣ I realize, of course, that tests for the COVID-19 virus are scarce, but politics aside, when the President of the United States has had known contact with at least three people testing positive for the virus, then he of all people should get tested. ⁣ ⁣ Let’s hope those CEO’s shaking hands with him yesterday used hand sanitizer immediately afterwards.⁣ ⁣
A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

Updated on Saturday afternoon: Donald now says he was tested last night;
he should have results within "a day or two." This is slightly contrary to a
letter from his doctor that was issued this morning say that there's no reason
for Donald to be tested. If Donald really did get tested, apparently he did it
without telling his White House physician.
Surviving this crisis will take a shift in mindset, and that’s tougher than we think - especially when we’re afraid. ⁣ ⁣ Fear and anxiety can drive us to become very self-focused. This global pandemic is a real case of “getting sick together” or “staying well together.” ⁣ ⁣ Our choices affect everyone around us. There is no such thing as “individual risk” or “individual wellness.” ⁣ ⁣ This is the ultimate reminder that we are inextricably connected to each other. Turning away from collective action right now - as tempting as it is - will only generate more pain. ⁣ ⁣ Owning and embracing our global interconnectedness (from a safe distance) and thinking about others as we make choices is, ironically, our only path to safety for ourselves and the people we love. ⁣ ⁣ We can all get really shitty really fast when we’re afraid. I get it. I’m using deep breaths along with my personal mantra: ” Try to be scared without being scary.” Feel free to borrow both - they can help.⁣ ⁣ It’s also really normal for everyone to be on our nerves: The people who aren’t following the rules, the 10-second hand washers, etc. I get that too. TRUST ME. ⁣ ⁣ But, like it or not, we just can’t give up on people. We’re all we have.⁣ ⁣ Stay awkward, brave, and kind. Love each other. Spread calm.⁣ ⁣ xo,⁣ BB⁣
A post shared by Brené Brown (@brenebrown) on







A few friends sent this poem to me yesterday. I took a deep breath, then another when I read it. It’s always helpful to turn something upside down or to see the other side. I am posting it with a photo I took of clouds at sunset reflected in water. With an upside down tree. Pandemic, by Lynn Unger What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath — the most sacred of times. Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down. And when your body has become still, reach out with your heart. Know that we are connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful. (You could hardly deny it now.) Know that our lives are in one another’s hands. (Surely, that has come clear.) Do not reach out your hands. Reach out your heart. Reach out your words. Reach out all the tendrils of compassion that move, invisibly, where we cannot touch. Promise this world your love-- for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, so long as we all shall live.
A post shared by Geneen Roth (@geneenroth) on


Boogie gets the last word, at least for now: 
A post shared by Hi, I'm Boogie! (@boogie_the_sheepadoodle) on


From Twitter. Let's watch and see how this holds up:

Update #2 on March 24: The Tokyo Olympics have now been postponed
until 2021. 
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