Conspiracy Theorists of Covid-19: Get a Grip

 Listen, I am all for people having the right to their own opinion. In fact, that is what makes us more intelligent because we can consider other points of view and question things. It's necessary to have opposition of opinion. 

What I do not appreciate are people who force their opposition on you and cannot respect people's individual perspectives and vision. (I didn't say agree, I said RESPECT!)

I can sit across any table and have a civil conversation about a topic and never try to belittle or become condescending toward that person who has a different perspective(Well, it would take a lot to get me to that point). I'm extremely interested why people think the way they do and I will never stop trying to learn why. 

My concern lies with people who make claims, that are potentially dangerous or hurtful to others. Let's consider the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Pandemic has had a global negative impact. People have died, become very sick, lost their jobs or businesses, lost their homes, caused an extreme loss in revenue for the government, and hurt countries all over the world, not just the United States. It's WORLDWIDE!

So when a person tells me that this media coverage about the coronavirus is all exaggerated and some kind of government stronghold. I have to just breathe.

I could not imagine looking a human in the eye who has lost someone they love, their homes, and/or their jobs, and saying that it's all because of a government hoax. I could not be so insensitive to the fact that children lost both of their parents, or they have no home now and are living in their car, in freezing cold! Get a grip on what your saying! 

The government would never EVER risk the security of our nation financially to control people. I'm sure they have more financially responsible ways of doing that if they wanted to. As you all know money runs the world. Period. Doesn't make it right, but that's the way it works. Why would we take such a damaging financial hit to control people? This makes absolutely zero sense. Let me break it down for you.

 If businesses close and people lose their jobs that means they have no money to spend. If Americans do not spend money the federal government and state is not funded through taxes. If the government and states are not funded through taxes they have no money to operate. So, it would never be in the governments best interest to do anything that's putting our businesses and citizens at risk of losing employment. Our system would fail.

Secondly, it's not a government ploy to control people out of fear; if 284,000 deaths just in the US alone from Covid-19 aren't enough to convince you of that, there is also the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic is worldwide and did not begin in the US. It began in a totally different country, so are you also saying that those countries are all trying to scare and control their citizens? Those countries want to take the same financial hit the United States is taking? If so, it no longer becomes the government trying to control us.... No No.... The World is!

The death count from Covid-19 as of today worldwide is 1.53 Million according to the New York Times. It is climbing everyday, and it is not going anywhere.

 

I hope the next time someone calls this a hoax or scheme from the government they consider others and choose compassion over conviction. I hope they consider the children all over the world who lost a parent or family member, or a family who lost a child. Consider families in your very own backyard who do not know where their next meal is coming from tonight. This is not the time to be abandoning our neighbors. Everybody is struggling in one way or another. The thing people need to realize is that this pandemic needs to be taken seriously.  

The government wants you going out spending money at restaurants and shopping at the mall. The world wants you traveling so you can spend money in other countries. All these economic systems need to run and function to make money. The sooner we stop with our entitled behaviors; the government will come back strong. Then people can go about their business as usual again. But people need to get on board. Let's try to support everybody and get through this. Follow the local mandates in your area, and keep others safe.

 Get the vaccine! If your scared, do some REAL research. The vaccine is not a dead virus or weakened virus.  The vaccine has genetic material from the virus that teaches your body to defend against that genetic code when it spots it. That is why it is given in two doses. 

People need to sit down across the table and have a conversation with each other. It is not about winning an argument. It is about sorting out the fear from the actual facts. We would all benefit. Everyone would benefit. I believe we can save lives. 

Pregnancy During the Covid-19 Pandemic

 There I am, in all  my glory. I am 8 months pregnant and very blessed. It's a great story, I swear.

About three years ago my husband and I experienced one of the most heartbreaking thing we have ever had to go through. Miscarriage. This was going to be our fourth child. We had a name picked out and everything, Kodi. We were both devastated by the loss of our child after the fourth month. Everybody always tells you "your in the clear" after three months but that wasn't the case for us. There were never any clear or definitive answers as to why we lost our baby. But I can assure you I was so heartbroken and the experience left me depressed for a long time. I still see what I call "phantom baby" in my home. I think to myself that baby would be three years old right now and I picture a chubby toddler scuffing his footsie pajamas through my home. I don't think that will ever stop.

Because I am in my late thirties and I have some underlying health conditions my husband and I just assumed that we were done having children after the miscarriage. We were leaving the experience on a somber note. I had begrudgingly accepted the fact that I lost the baby. Begrudgingly because the townie heroin addict down the road was somehow able to carry her baby to full term. I had a lot of questions for God.

Fast forward to March of 2020. March 18th hits and we are told to stay home and stay safe. Covid-19, a major pandemic has hit and our only way of saving lives was a mandatory stay home order. This was where things became very interesting. I know that my relationship with my husband is not the only one affected by the stay home order.

 My husband and I were spending more time together than we had ever spent with each other in 7 years. I know some people were at each others throat being cooped up together. That was not the case for us. We were at each others throats in a different kind of way. Wink. We became really close during that time, we watched movies, had at home date nights, cooked dinners together and talked more. It was the best time I have ever spent with him when I look back. 

Of course you know where this is going, I became pregnant. I was proclaimed a geriatric pregnancy. Which still makes me smile anytime I hear or say it. In case you didn't know, if your 35 or older and you become pregnant you are considered a geriatric pregnancy. All I can picture is a cane in one hand for walking and a baby in the other.  

My husband and I were so happy, excited, hopeful, cautious, scared, energized. Every emotion you can imagine after losing a baby and never thinking we could right that wrong. It was an absolute blessing from God. Something we never planned but made from the purest love. Possibly a little too much wine one night. 

Being pregnant during the pandemic has been scary to say the least. I don't know if I'm more scared of becoming infected with the virus or more scared of the sheer negligence of other humans around me not taking this pandemic seriously. I am considered a high risk pregnancy to begin with because of my Factor V Leiden but now I'm even more at risk with Covid-19 becoming worse day by day. 

My husband is really the one who has to take the brunt of the beating too. He is constantly being asked to shower because of the people he is around and the activities he participates in. Sometimes he tells me I'm crazy and he is resistant to appease me but eventually I think he hears the desperation in my voice and that I'm really just scared so he will take that shower. I love him for that. 

I have made my world as secluded in-person as possible. Thank goodness for our social media accounts so we can stay in contact with other humans. I shop for food with the seniors, senior shopping hours are early in the mornings when the stores open. Sometimes if there is a slot available, I make my online orders and pick up in the parking lot. Anytime I go anywhere I wear a mask, even though I can not breathe. Seriously my lungs are smooshed from this baby and adding a mask makes me feel like I'm going to pass out. But I do it because I'm protecting not only myself but others too. I keep hand sanitizer in my vehicle. I sanitized my hands before I go in and I sanitize the hands when I get back to my car. I wash my hands all day long at home and I clean surfaces at home with sanitizing cleaners constantly to keep the family safe. 

Covid-19 has definitely made me more cautious, especially now that I have this bundle of joy on the way. I become anxious when I have to visit my doctor at the hospital. I don't want to go touch and breathe in the same things other people are. The hospital doesn't allow my husband in anymore for the ultrasounds or the scheduled doctors appointments. It breaks my heart for him because it is his baby too. We understand why they do it, but this is my husbands very last baby, after the loss of our last child, and he wants to take part too. Everyday life has changed, for everyone.

The things I look forward to these days are fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Finding a comfortable position in bed so I can actually sleep without being in pain. Sleeping late on Saturdays and Sundays. Family dinners with my children and husband at night. Reading a great book in the evening; I have been reading more than ever now. Alone time with my husband even if it is just streaming movies or TV shows. Finally the small glimmers of goodness and kindness I have seen that has been brought out of people who have been struggling together.

 Covid-19 has been really hard for all of us and yes it has changed all of our lives we were used to living but there has been some very beautiful things and blessings we have been given through it all.

The Great Water Epidemic: 30 Years Left

Although we happen to be the smartest self proclaimed mammals walking the planet we have very little time left if we do not address our current water crisis. 
Water is the source to all life. We are made up of mostly water and it is all around us in our environment. The sad truth though is that water is becoming more and more scarce every day. 
Only 2.5% of the Earth's water is freshwater, drinkable water(Postel,563). But it gets worse. Out of that 2.5% of fresh water on our planet 66% of that water is frozen contained in ice caps and glaciers in the Arctic. You can do the math. 
Rivers that were once great and gave life to the wildlife and people who resided nearby are drying up and humans have been responsible for this. Humans have been putting dams in that stop the natural flow of waters and kill off the life down stream. Today our ecosystem is threatened. It is estimated that 40% of our freshwater fish are in danger of becoming extinct now(Postel,00:10:15).

There has been some cases where ecologists have been able to convince areas to remove dams. When this happens life is restored back to the area and all of life flourishes again. Some efforts have been made to restore the natural waters and habitats. In San Francisco there was a joint federal-state initiative to restore the health of the delta in San Francisco Bay. Florida's Everglades have shrunk to half their size in the last century alone. Florida initiated a $8 Billion project with help from the federal government to repair the damage that has been done(Postel,567). 
The city of Boston had at one point reached the maximum capacity of what was available for water. They needed to look to other resources to find a supply. Boston was considering using the Connecticut river. Activists got involved and said they really didn't want to see Boston go to that extreme. Boston went back to the drawing table and had to get creative and try to figure out a way to supply the city with water and what they came up with was conservation. Instead of tapping into more resources, they got creative and started using fixtures that were efficient. The city began conserving the water. Boston was able to fix the issue and the water use in the city is back down to what it was 50 years ago because of conservation(Postel,00:14:45). 
I leave you all with this thought, please consider it tonight while you brush your teeth or take your shower. What can we do? What can we change or do without in our daily life? What can restore our water supplies back to what they were 50 or even 100 years ago? Scientists estimate we have 30 years left of fresh water supply. Water is essential to all life. How have we gotten so displaced from the one thing that we couldn't survive without? What do we need to do to fix the great water epidemic?





Works Cited

Postel, Sandra. “Troubled Waters .” Inquiry: Questioning, Reading, Writing, Pearson, 2004, pp. 562–571.

Postel, Sandra. “TEDxMidAtalntic.” YouTube, YouTube, 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufQggKQ5u1Q.