Virus Ideas

Monday and Illinois restaurants and bars are closed to all except pickup and delivery of food products. Schools are closed. Any gathering above 100 is banned, and really even 50 is discouraged. We are told to wash hands, stay quarantined at home, walk outside for fresh air but away from other people.


The hope is to ‘flatten the curve’ of demand for healthcare services. In turn this will allow healthcare facilities to be able to handle an orderly number of cases without causing a shutdown.


In time many of us will get the virus. In isolation the cases are likely to be mild and not need medical attention. Only the severely affected cases will need and get hospital attention. And yes, some of these patients will die. It is inevitable but manageable. Harsh? No; realistic.


In the meantime, we each have the opportunity to use our free time fruitfully. Here are some suggestions if you have not yet thought of them:

1.      Clean your living space; vacuum, dust, tidy and wash floors. Then clean countertops and plumbing fixtures. How about those lamps and light bulbs?

2.      Clear out closets, drawers and cabinets of stuff you don’t use and never will. Then tackle your basement and garage if you have either or both. They likely are jammed with stuff you no longer need.

3.      Think creatively. About many topics. Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a particular essay, book or poem? Perhaps a book of poems? What is inside your head you need to order and express? This is a chance for you to poke into it and finally do something about it.

4.      Catch up on paperwork you have been putting off. Or at least dump paper files you no longer have use for

5.      Do your taxes if you haven’t already?

6.      Listen to music you haven’t experienced in a long while. Reconnect with this art form. Recall the moods and inner peace it helped you find in the past.

7.      Listen to one another. Start up a conversation about matters you need to discuss. Don’t put it off any longer. You have the time. Use it now for positive good. Make amends. Discover new depths of personality you never knew existed, or dared to express.

8.      Ponder your long-term future. Where are you headed? What do you want to experience, to do? Why haven’t you done so before now? What is holding you back? What course of action would help you move toward the goals you truly value?

9.      Calculate how you use your time. What isn’t getting done that is important to you personally? How can you organize your future time so you can focus on what matters and what doesn’t? Shed useless timewasters and commit to progress toward you goals.

10.   Sleep, nap and restore your energy. This alone will restore health and vitality to your life. Remember to drink lots of water and eat nutritious small meals.

Following those ten steps will likely find you healthier and happier at the end of the quarantine, and or illness. It is worth a try. You will appreciate it. And your loved ones will too.


March 17, 2020