Are you committing Coronacrime? Of course you are. Did you travel more than 5 miles from home in the last 41 days-crime, go to the beach or park-crime, even ridden your bike on the bike path-crime. The good news: these aren’t really crimes, the bad news: looks like May will be much the same with more than a dash of why-the-hell-can’t-I-do-anything-fun-when-other-states-are jealousy.
So what have we learned so far? Glad you asked:
- Love and unity will get us through.Spouse driving you crazy, kids not listening, neighbors being too loud, strangers Coronapolicing you at the grocery store? Let it go or better yet, combat hate with kindness. Surprise your wife with a special dinner, get the kids some new books, start dancing to the neighbor’s music, and be happy that the grocery store exists.
- Follow Science. Learn about why this is happening and where we can go next, be curious about Sweden and herd immunity but also find answers to what you don’t know. Is a lemon or lavender Lysol enema better at fighting the virus? You first Mr. President.
- Leadership matters.Ever had a great boss? They know when to guide, when to lay low and when to lead. Crisis is the time to step up, answer questions, plan and find solutions. Overall, leaders should be making our lives better, providing a light in the darkness, a path for the future. Comfort and unity not anxiety is what we need. Think Winston Wolfe from “Pulp Fiction” or John Krasinski doing SGN.
- Gratitude helps. Simple things like appreciating your spouse and kids and friends and colleagues and home. You’ve worked hard for all those things, appreciate them, say thank you more. Feel JOLO the Joy Of Living Once. Leave a flower on someone’s car or a funny greeting for strangers walking by your house.
- We are meant to do stuff. By now you should be about done with passive entertainment (how many hours can one human spend staring at screens?) How’s the garden growing? The family solitaire competition? The new instrument? The Great American Novel? The cake baking? And don’t forget to get out every day for a walk or jog or bike ride. Plus, while you’re at it, go drop $12.39 at Staples for a 32” garbage reacher and start cleaning your nest.
- You might need some money. Did you refinance your house? Change your auto and home insurance? Sell that furniture that has been sitting in your garage? Radically downsize your spending (how could you not)? And apply for every financial offer available? With all the side hustles evaporated it might be a skinny summer. Plan accordingly.
- Watching nature heal itself is pretty amazing. Will we learn? Hope so. And should we be dissing the Chinese for eating bats (Hells yes) while accepting how pigs and chickens and cows are raised in American factory farms? Hmmmm.
- You are not in charge. Maybe the most important lesson of all. God or Vishnu or Allah or Oz might be pulling the strings but all we can control is our reaction to the situation. Let’s look honestly and learn, then take steps to not repeat what caused this pandemic. The situation is unprecedented so we are all newborns doing what we can, learning as we go. Play nice.
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Walt Williams is in it for the money, that and the prestige that goes with 22 years of teaching in California high schools (he’s not the smartest tool in the shed). He firmly believes in more standardized testing and that fitting all students into the same box is really the answer. He strongly supports fracking and that climate change is a fantasy made up by hippie liberals, also that the military needs more funding and that schools should just stop whining.