Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[hispoptart]

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/coping-with-the-loss-of-sense-of-smell-and-taste-2020101921141

Well this is not good news......

 

[sourland]

To speak to the topic of the thread title, how the virus is affecting my life .... I'm losing a friend over it. I'm so isolated out here anyway, so far from my family, this woman has been very precious to me. But this virus has been unexpectedly divisive. We have not gotten together since this began, of course, but yesterday we were able to go somewhere "together" in separate vehicles. I was looking forward to seeing her. I figured we could actually talk briefly so I put on my mask and rolled down my window. She approached, unmasked. I pulled back from her and asked her to step back or mask. She said she thinks masking is stupid and unnecessary. It felt like she was saying that I am stupid. She said she couldn't see me because the mask covers my face, and she couldn't hear me because it muffles my voice. I knew that wasn't true. She has said she doesn't believe Covid is any worse than the flu, that the media are faking the numbers of infections and deaths, etc. I felt that she was saying that I am stupid for wearing a mask and taking the virus as seriously as I do. I was hurt and felt insulted and alienated. And now I feel even more isolated and lonely than before. Covid is affecting everyone in so many ways, even if it doesn't make them sick. I'm sad.

Sadly it's not 'real' until/unless it hits close to home. The one person who has given be BS about masking is now in the throes of this disease. He believes now.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

To speak to the topic of the thread title, how the virus is affecting my life .... I'm losing a friend over it. I'm so isolated out here anyway, so far from my family, this woman has been very precious to me. But this virus has been unexpectedly divisive. We have not gotten together since this began, of course, but yesterday we were able to go somewhere "together" in separate vehicles. I was looking forward to seeing her. I figured we could actually talk briefly so I put on my mask and rolled down my window. She approached, unmasked. I pulled back from her and asked her to step back or mask. She said she thinks masking is stupid and unnecessary. It felt like she was saying that I am stupid. She said she couldn't see me because the mask covers my face, and she couldn't hear me because it muffles my voice. I knew that wasn't true. She has said she doesn't believe Covid is any worse than the flu, that the media are faking the numbers of infections and deaths, etc. I felt that she was saying that I am stupid for wearing a mask and taking the virus as seriously as I do. I was hurt and felt insulted and alienated. And now I feel even more isolated and lonely than before. Covid is affecting everyone in so many ways, even if it doesn't make them sick. I'm sad.

I'm sad too. I can't talk to my youngest sister any more. She was closest to me in age, spent much of our childhood together and we always got along well till the subject comes up.
I hadn't spoken to her in about 6 months time when I called her. It was a good conversation till I told her that my wife was sick and we were concerned it was Covid-19. She put me on hold and went to get a list of treatments I should give her.
I waited and when she listed them I knew right away where she got the list. I heard the words hydroxychloroquine, hot pepper, garlic, alcohol, etc..
I interrupted her and said, "I'm not going to give her anything that liar suggested."
She immediately hung up and won't talk to me again. It is a shame when you can't have a discussion with your sister.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=384904412591377

mask study

Found out about this site. They have already posted some pretty sad letters from children to Santa. The USPS..a couple of examples. One child says, Dear Santa, I don't want anything for Christmas, but I would like to ask you if you could do me a favor. Can you please find a cure for Covid-19, and give it to us to save the world. Thank you. Another child...no toys for me..but for ppe, Lysol to help keep us safe. ...It's hard to imagine what these kids are seeing that we're not even understanding is in their head and their heart. Praying that they become a smart, brilliant generation. That from living through a tough time, made them realize just how resilient they can be...............go to uspsoperationsanta

I equate this situation with when kids experience war. Like that in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, Northern Ireland and Beirut.
I had a "War and Peace" professor who wrote a book about children of war, studying the effects of the Ireland and Beirut conflicts. One thing I remember from one of his lectures was that the children he interviewed said they couldn't sleep unless they hear bombing because that was normal for them.
You look at survivors of the holocaust and the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge and in adulthood, they seem pretty well adjusted. So there is always hope.

 

[IamRainey]

I'm soooooo sorry, BigBlueHen.

You are, obviously, NOT the one who's stupid. Which is easy for me to say but doesn't do anything about your social isolation.

I hope we can be company to you until this is over and this insult can be forgotten or put away for the sake of a social relationship.

In any case, you're doing the RIGHT thing to support your chances of being around then! I hope your friend is luckier than she is bright.

 

[IamRainey]

HOORAY FOR THE GATES FUND!!!!!!

They've committed another quarter of a BILLION dollars to Covid relief and to assuring that vaccines get to poorer areas of the globe as well as the wealthy areas (Canada, for example, has already ordered 6 doses for every Canadian). The point being, that we have to stop Covid EVERYWHERE to know it can't migrate ANYWHERE.

And that's on top of the funding the Foundation did to EVERY company working on a vaccine and the facilities they built for vaccine production.

I hope someone will explain to me why Rash Limpbod got a Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Gates haven't even been recognized officially for what they've done.

 

[IamRainey]

I feel so bad for those kids who are feeling endangered or hopeless in response to the virus!

We see our grandson much less now -- as opposed to the first 2 months of lockdown when he lived with us. But when he comes, his mood is excellent. It could be he's an only child and has grown up around adults his whole life. It could be not having to get up early an extra hour just to get to his school. It could be dad working from home and spending so much more time with him. But I think it has a lot to do with his mother being in the fight against this disease. Altho that could present fears of its own, she stays safe and healthy (she cries on her way to work and not around him; she tries not to cry on her way home and show up with puffy eyes) and we all reinforce to him how important her contribution is.

Whatever it is, we're grateful he's still thriving.

PS Even though his school is virtual for academic instruction, they do get together 2x a week for PE. So far they've done things like tennis and frisbee that require significant distance between participants and hiking hills in socially distanced packs.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Next time you quarantine, can you do it at MY house, please? We got almost nothing done while we were in lockdown mode. I guess that's understandable, though, since two of us were really sick and the third did everything she could to avoid contact with us or anything we touched ... still ... my house? Please?

MROO my dear, I'm a goblin. When I get manic like that it doesn't happen at normal hours, during normal daytime hours I sit on my laptop drinking coffee and eating snackbars. You sure you want me forcing us into candymaking, candlemaking and cleaning bones in your house at 3AM before I fall asleep crying because someone used the word "stupid" in front of me and it was too mean for me to handle? Because that's 100% how it would go down.

Speaking of cleaning bones, though, the beetles went NUTS for those mandibles for the earrings... And they're already clean. :O Time to give them a new bone to work on!

 

[IamRainey]

Well, if other folks say "stupid" we say, clever and creative and resourceful and dedicated and kind and smart and healthy (please stay that way) and compassionate and responsible and probably other things I can't think of at just this moment.

Put that in your pocket and pull it out whenever you need to!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Rainey, it's fine. XD D referred to someone else - who honestly quite deserved it - in mildly unkind terms and I was having a hard time and just couldn't handle him being upset around me at the moment even if it wasn't directed at me because of exhaustion. Straw on a camel and all that. I asking him to stop ranting because I was freaking out and he did and took care of me and all was well. I have loving support in my house and home, even when I'm anxious and it leaves me able to look back a day later and be like "Haha, wow I sure was a hot mess!'. I'm lucky. I really appreciate it though! <3 <3 You're such a doll - always looking out for people.

 

[IamRainey]

Just a reminder:

This too shall pass.