What We Can Do

While our local, regional and national governments work to curtail the spread of the coronavirus with effective measures to keep as many people as safe as possible, these entities are doing it with an abundance of caution. When we are dealing with numbers in the millions and billions, doing “too much” seems like a logical choice. While it appears that they are telling us what we can’t do, let’s take a different angle and look at what we can do.

From Facebook posts this past week:
• Conversations will not be cancelled. Telephones still work, as does email and texting, and if we have the proper tech, video chats are still around. All that is required is a minimum of two people determined to keep in touch.
• Relationships won’t be cancelled (unless we choose to cancel them). Parents, siblings, children, friends still need our attention via whatever method is available to us.
• Music is not cancelled. Concerts are being broadcast online. Check out the Italian tenor, singing from his balcony in Florence, for the local world to hear, because he cannot leave his home. (By the way, the last line of the aria – Nessun Dorma – is “Vincero” which means “I overcome” – and we shall.)
• Reading is not going to be cancelled. Books abound. Some of the largest online retailers have free ebooks to read.
• Some of the world’s most famous museums are closed to the public, but they aren’t closed online. Take the virtual tours.
• Learning is not cancelled. While school districts are closing their doors, the teachers are opening up their computers to teach children online. Parents are becoming teachers as well. There are always new things to learn, and we’ll find them when we set our minds to finding them.

If we apply our talent for option thinking, there are dozens of ways to feel more connected to the world. It just takes a shift in perspective. Self-isolation doesn’t lock down the mind or the heart. We just want to find different ways to let them roam.

Yes, the coronavirus is highly contagious. It’s why our movements are being curtailed. But also highly contagious is kindness, patience, love, enthusiasm and a positive attitude. We don’t need to wait to catch these from others – we can be the carriers.