Everything seems to be going in the right direction according to the CDC...I think....I have stopped watching all the briefings. Total overload for me. But it is good news that the states are starting to open up. We are all getting a little restless, and tired of "Staying home safe". Galen and I have ventured out a few times to get groceries and things at Lowe's, post office and the like. We are thankful that we have not been affected that much, unlike other families. In Los Angeles County, the "safer at home" order remains until May 15th, but I believe, longer for other parts of California.
We have heard many conflicting instructions: don't wear a mask, wear a mask, stay inside, no get air and sunshine, go outside, stay six feet away, no ten feet away...2 million people will die, no 60 thousand, no wait it may be up to 100 thousand...and so on and so forth. So, the "experts" tell us all these things, and we are supposed to believe them, but it can be confusing. Some orders are good and others don't make any sense. For example, some people have been arrested at the beach (and our beaches ARE beautiful), because they were not walking, or jogging, in other words they needed to be moving. You were not allowed to sit...WHAT?? When I go to the beach I love sitting in my beach chair and listening to the waves crashing, and feeling the ocean breeze on my face. I guess it is a good thing I did not go, because I would have probably ended up in jail! (I was tempted though, we have had 100+ degree heat in the San Fernando Valley, for the past week). This makes no sense. If you sat at the beach to sunbathe you went to jail, yet, the "authorities" that people have voted in, have been releasing prisoners, because they did not want them to be infected by the virus.Well, we know our prisons are overcrowded, so I supposed this would be one good excuse to empty them. I can't imagine that they could not quarantine them somewhere else! Many of these criminals committed crimes as soon as they got out! The mayor of New York, could not figure it out. He was "surprised". Really?
Anyway, I am glad we are seeing progress being made in many areas, and if (although I hope not) we get another pandemic, we will be more prepared. More things are now in place, and we have more of the necessary equipment to deal with it.
What is also amazing is that the stock market seems to have rebound enough in April, to have erased all of the March losses. Let's hope it continues to move in the right direction. It is very sad to see people being forced to file bankruptcies, close their businesses, lose their employment, not being able to pay their mortgages and other bills, not to mention increased depression, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and domestic violence. It must be absolutely devastating!
How are people coping? I don't know. Everyone is different. I will share a little story, where the "author" is unknown. The Title is : The lesson of the coffee bean. You may be familiar with it.
A daughter complained to her father about how hard things were for her. "As soon as I solve one problem, she said, another one comes up". I am tired of struggling.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the last one, ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter waited impatiently, wondering what he was doing. After a while, he went over and turned off the burners. He took out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. He pulled out the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then he poured the coffee into a bowl.Turning to her he asked , "Darling, what do you see?"
Carrots, eggs and coffee, she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee.. She smiled, as she tasted its rich flavor.
She asked, "What does it mean Father?" He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but after being subjected to boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside hardened. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. By being in the boiling water, they changed the water.
He asked his daughter, "when adversity knocks on your door, which are you?"
I guess that is a good question to think about and ask ourselves....when adversity knocks on our door, which one are WE?
Have a great, healthy Day!
We have heard many conflicting instructions: don't wear a mask, wear a mask, stay inside, no get air and sunshine, go outside, stay six feet away, no ten feet away...2 million people will die, no 60 thousand, no wait it may be up to 100 thousand...and so on and so forth. So, the "experts" tell us all these things, and we are supposed to believe them, but it can be confusing. Some orders are good and others don't make any sense. For example, some people have been arrested at the beach (and our beaches ARE beautiful), because they were not walking, or jogging, in other words they needed to be moving. You were not allowed to sit...WHAT?? When I go to the beach I love sitting in my beach chair and listening to the waves crashing, and feeling the ocean breeze on my face. I guess it is a good thing I did not go, because I would have probably ended up in jail! (I was tempted though, we have had 100+ degree heat in the San Fernando Valley, for the past week). This makes no sense. If you sat at the beach to sunbathe you went to jail, yet, the "authorities" that people have voted in, have been releasing prisoners, because they did not want them to be infected by the virus.Well, we know our prisons are overcrowded, so I supposed this would be one good excuse to empty them. I can't imagine that they could not quarantine them somewhere else! Many of these criminals committed crimes as soon as they got out! The mayor of New York, could not figure it out. He was "surprised". Really?
Anyway, I am glad we are seeing progress being made in many areas, and if (although I hope not) we get another pandemic, we will be more prepared. More things are now in place, and we have more of the necessary equipment to deal with it.
What is also amazing is that the stock market seems to have rebound enough in April, to have erased all of the March losses. Let's hope it continues to move in the right direction. It is very sad to see people being forced to file bankruptcies, close their businesses, lose their employment, not being able to pay their mortgages and other bills, not to mention increased depression, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and domestic violence. It must be absolutely devastating!
How are people coping? I don't know. Everyone is different. I will share a little story, where the "author" is unknown. The Title is : The lesson of the coffee bean. You may be familiar with it.
A daughter complained to her father about how hard things were for her. "As soon as I solve one problem, she said, another one comes up". I am tired of struggling.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the last one, ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter waited impatiently, wondering what he was doing. After a while, he went over and turned off the burners. He took out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. He pulled out the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then he poured the coffee into a bowl.Turning to her he asked , "Darling, what do you see?"
Carrots, eggs and coffee, she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee.. She smiled, as she tasted its rich flavor.
She asked, "What does it mean Father?" He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but after being subjected to boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside hardened. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. By being in the boiling water, they changed the water.
He asked his daughter, "when adversity knocks on your door, which are you?"
I guess that is a good question to think about and ask ourselves....when adversity knocks on our door, which one are WE?
Have a great, healthy Day!
