Tag: masks

Christianity: My Journey & Thoughts, Ponderings

The Neighbor with the Upside Down Flag

Peregrine Arc: An Author's Scratchwork

We have a neighbor who displays a magnet of an American flag on the side of his mailbox. He’s had it upside down (a signal of distress) for the past several months with one date written on it in black marker: 1-6-2021. January 6, 2021, the date of the Capitol insurrection and riot. I look at it every time I return home into our neighborhood. I think “There is at least one person who remembers and doesn’t have convenient amnesia.”

Convenient amnesia. I was in a store the other day and someone came in asking “Do we have to wear a mask, even if we’re vaccinated?” I left this customer to the underpaid workers to deal with, but read the sign on the way out. Clearly it said masks required; very simple, concise English with a picture of a mask. Clearly this man was “special” and above the rules constantly changing, not on his terms. And yes, in case you were wondering: we were masked. And we managed not to sprain our wrists putting on the masks. That must be what everyone is afraid of. Repetitive movement injury.

America is not doing very well in the pandemic, and that is quite possibly the understatement of the century. Children are being hospitalized and dying; hospitals are banding together quite literally and begging everyone to get vaccinated. One in five hundred Americans have died from Covid. And yet, even as hospitals overflow and patients have to play Russian roulette in finding a hospital that will admit them…people don’t seem to care here. They want their naked faces proudly on display, their comfortable routines back, nipped and tucked into regularity and comfort. They don’t care about their fellow neighbor; they want to not suffer any longer.

People do not know how to suffer, or how to suffer well. As Christians, this is part and parcel of what it means to follow Jesus. The here and now, your present life, is a blip on a page that extends into eternity–either with God, or without God. He always leaves the choice to us.

If you’re like the saint and I, and are wondering what in God’s green earth is going on–know that you’re not alone. God allows suffering to draw us closer to Him; to build resiliency, to sharpen our faith…the list of His reasons go on and may be hidden from us until after die. The important thing, as Paul said, is to continue to walk with God and with humility. To suffer alongside Him, to not chase after the fool’s gold of this world as the fool’s will insist. He will not abandon those who love Him.

Ponderings

Throwing Covid’s Crown Back at it: My Experience with COVID-19

Peregrine Arc: An Author's Scratchwork

I read recently that COVID-19 (the present coronavirus the world is dealing with) looks like it has a bunch of crowns on the stems of its protrusions. Corona means crown in Latin, hence the crown virus (or coronavirus). Please see a CDC article here that explains the history of this lingua in much better, nuanced detail than I can currently explain.

The saint was recently diagnosed with what the medical staff assumed is one of the more contagious variants now going around the United States. I, in turn, started showing symptoms of it about a week later, but am still waiting on my lab results to confirm. I am fairly certain I have it though, and am nearing the tail end of my quarantine. For the first time in about a week, I can move my eyes around and not feel pain and I can also think more clearly and breathe a little bit more easily.

One of the most alarming symptoms I had was a possible blood clot in my foot. My right foot was hurting one night while laying in bed; I told the nurse practitioner (np) I saw the next day it had felt like I had worn a bad fitting pair of shoes. The pain went away a few hours later, so thankfully my body took care of it independently. The np said that COVID-19 can cause blood clots, which can in turn lead to strokes. About a week prior to seeing me, the np said she had a female patient around my age who had a stroke from COVID. So yes, it can even happen to us young millennials.

I also had what the np said was “Covid Brain”, or basically not being able to think clearly, reacting slowly, recalling memories slower than usual, etc. So, not only does the beast of COVID-19 affect the blood system and breathing, it can affect the nervous system as well (hence changes in taste, smell, etc.). I call shenanigans.

I’m sharing this as one brief human story of COVID among millions. Please continue to protect yourselves and others by washing your hands, wearing a mask, and social distancing. Even if your neighbors down the street are partying it up and built an extension onto their house to throw said parties (yes, I do speak from experience), do it anyway. Because it’s the right thing to do.

Also, in final closing, I found on Twitter a great channel that promotes the historic preservation and ongoing research and education of the Holocaust, particularly the Auschwitz Memorial. I encourage you to check it out, and add it to your feed. It’s a daily reminder of what can happen when we let hate win. Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet Troops 76 years ago this past January. That isn’t so very long ago now, is it?

Never forget. Speak up against evil; do not let it win.