Good Golly, Miss Molly! – What can one say about the news the past week?

The world as we know it seems to be progressively shutting down around us as each new day gets crazier than the last. It’s hard to keep up, just with all the new words and phrases alone – Coronavirus – Pandemic – COVID-19 – Flatten the Curve – Shelter In Place – Social Distancing – Self-quarantine.

And how about “R-naught or RO” – a virus’s basic reproductive number and the metric used to describe the contagiousness of infectious agents? We aren’t even going to talk about that one.

Some of my writer friends and I are sharing our thoughts in our “Coping in Coronaville Blog Hop.”  I invite you to visit their amazing blogs, listed at the end of this post, to discover their ways of coping and surviving in such times.

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Our daily routines and patterns have been totally upended, almost overnight. That is stressful enough for most, without the added concerns of a nasty virus lurking around every corner. And now we are under a “Stay-At-Home” order in our area, as well.

It’s all enough to scare the pants off Superman! And wouldn’t that have been a sight. Likely not ‘G’ rated, but perhaps interesting and entertaining, nonetheless.

Imagine Superman soaring pantless thru the stratosphere as he did, frost and icicles forming on suddenly exposed tender bits and what-nots where they shouldn’t. Was that a wrap-around cape he wore, to bundle for warmth perhaps? And were phone booths ever heated? Has any super guy ever survived a severe case of frostbite on the Willie? Or, even wanted to? What would Lois Lane think?  So many questions . . . .

Sorry, my mind wandered there for a moment, but being old I get a pass on stuff like that now. Is that a fair trade-off for being in the higher risk grouping with the coronavirus nowadays? I don’t know, but it does have its tactical advantages when used prudently, or just wanting to annoy and wind up the kids from time to time. Just for fun. And payback. Yeah, some of that, too. Parents –  you know what I’m talking about, don’t deny it.

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But, back to the virus which may have folks feeling jittery and on edge. The projected numbers and newscasts can be worrisome, no doubt. Scary stuff.  But there are really only two types of problems in life – those you can do something about, and those you cannot. Honestly, it really is that simple.

If you can do something about a situation, why worry? Do what is needed to be done and take care of it. If there is nothing you can do about a situation, then why worry? Like an asteroid falling from outer space, if there truly is nothing you can do about it, whatever “It” is will happen or not, all on its own with or without us agonizing, losing sleep, and worrying over it.  Worrying never solved anything.  Ever.

The only thing worrying ever does is to heighten our stress levels, thereby lowering our natural resistance and immunity,  making whatever we are worried about in the first place — such as a virus —  even more likely to occur, like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

We truly do become what we focus on and think about most, so for goodness’ sake please do not obsess about or dwell on thoughts of catching the coronavirus or being sick! Nothing good at all will come of that.

Be mindful, stay positive, laugh, enjoy life and time with loved ones and those around you, live in the moment, be happy, focus on the good things and what truly is in your control, and then let the devil take the hindmost.

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Accordingly, then – we do what we can.

We wash, wash, wash, wash our hands thru the day, and then wash them again just for good measure. That is vitally important, and we can do that.

We also no longer touch our eyes, mouth, nose, or facial area in general. We can surely do that.

And if for some reason you can’t resist the urge to rub and scratch, order a beekeepers mask. Or a Halloween mask.  Order a frightfully scary Jason Halloween goalie mask and terrify the little virus buggers. They might even run away. I would.

Masks could be fun all on their own, anyway, and if they help keep you from touching your face, it’s a win-win all around.

And we can also stay as isolated as possible, practicing social-distancing by maintaining a good six (6!) feet of space between ourselves and others when we do legitimately need to be out and about on occasion. Honestly, for the sake of our own health, our families and the community at large, less frequent and only truly necessary outings are for the better right now.

Smile while thinking of all the time and gas money saved!

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So, simply do what you can do, and after that – take a deep breath, treat yourself to a cookie, beverage of choice, and relax. Whatever it is will run its course without our needlessly having helped it along or added to our worry wrinkles.

These are all simple things we can do, and certainly worth the relatively small price when considering the alternative of being exposed to and spreading the virus and its consequences for everyone. Even with the cost of the beekeeper and Halloween mask.

This is the period we live in right now. Change can be challenging, and our lives seem to be rapidly changing in ten-minute increments the past week. Nevertheless, it is time for us all to accept the new reality, adjust to it by each creating our own “new normal” to make the best of the situation, develop new daily routines, and carry on.

As my Mother always reminded whenever I was troubled –

“This too shall pass.”

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Hopefully, we can all work together to “flatten the curve” as they say, and things will all get back to normal soon. But for the foreseeable future, diligently practicing good hygiene, being positive and mindful, social distancing, and being a bit isolated is the new normal.

And again – we can do all that. Together.

We are a community here, blessed with amazing and wonderful folks, and “Together” we will get thru this if we each act responsibly and do our part.

For information on How to Protect Yourself & Others from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), simply tap the link.

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And one more thing. An early observation. This week already I have seen more families together — Moms, Dads, Kids, Dogs, Cats — all out taking walks, kicking balls around the yard, stomping with galoshes in rain puddles, and just having fun — Together.

Others too, finding their way back outdoors to walk around the block and spend time with Mother Nature in the fresh air again. Reconnecting — with the outdoors, family, and neighbors. And that’s a very good thing.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we see a return to old-fashioned family times and activities after we have been so individually busy and increasingly separated over the past few decades? Is it going to take a disaster to bring us back together? Hopefully not, but perhaps it will be a positive ultimately realized from such a potentially devastating pandemic. We’ll see and maybe talk more about that another time.

In the meantime, let’s all focus on and reconnect with those people and things that are truly most important in our lives, keep good thoughts, and hope while expecting the very best outcomes for us all. And we will get thru all this — Together.

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Thank you always for taking the time from your day to visit with us!

If you learned anything, laughed for a moment and escaped the weight of the daily news breaks, or simply enjoyed your visit, we hope you may consider subscribing and following the blog here. It’s free, and never any spam.

Little Red Bear and I also hope that you will extend a kind word and helping hand to others during these trying times. We all could use a little mutual support and comforting reassurance right now.

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With so many working from home, schools dismissed or being “confined to quarters” at present, I invite and encourage you to take advantage of all the “Short Works & Free Reads” offered here on the blog. Enjoy a selection of feature articles, inspirational pages, posts, poetry, videos, and short stories, along with a growing list of Children’s Activities, Puzzles, and More! Find them all thru the tabs at the top of the page. It’s all Free because that’s just how we roll here.

In addition, at Little Red’s Bear’s urging, we have lowered the price of his print book, “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler!” to the lowest price we can offer thru Amazon — from $12.95 to $7.50.

We changed the distribution for the time being to lower the cost, and have eliminated all royalties so that we make nothing on any sale. The price of the Kindle Version for eReaders has also been lowered to only $2.99, and it is still Free with Kindle Unlimited.

Discover what others have had to say about Little Red Bear and his friends in some of our Reviews & Reader Comments.

We are doing this as our small part to help out, encouraging home reading both “to” and “for” children, as well as providing a light entertainment alternative for adults and seniors just to mentally escape for a while when needed during these stressful times. It is always a good day in Little Red Bear’s neck of the woods, and we invite you to drop in for a visit, prop your feet up and ‘set’ for a spell.

Very best wishes and good health to you and yours, stay well, and we will be back soon, with clean hands (and paws!) while maintaining an appropriately safe distance, of course. We’ll meet you at the intersection of Positivity and Hope! — Jim  (and Red!)

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If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “Wishing You Happiness, Peace, Joy — And A Very Good Day!” 

(New Visitors — Welcome! To find out what we are all about here, please check out — “Welcome To My Writing Pages!” and “About the Blog, Jim & Little Red Bear” — and sign up to follow and be notified of every new post!)

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I invite you to visit my writing friends to discover their thoughts on “Coping in Coronaville”, and to follow their blogs for wonderful new posts throughout the year!

Julie Gorges — “Ten Things Baby Boomers Can Do if Self-Quarantined”

Cat Michaels — “I Refuse To Be Wasting Away in Coronaville”

Rosie Russell — “Ideas on How to Cope in a Coronavirus World”

Rebecca Lyndsey — “Coping In Coronaville”

Carmela Dutra — “How to Stay Positive in a Coronavirus World”

Chris Gorges — “7 Ways to Cope with Coronavirus Fatigue”

Sandra Bennett — “Staying Grateful In A Coronavirus World”

Auden Johnson — “Quarantine Life: Ways To Cope In A Coronavirus World”

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          “Be the morning in everyone’s eyes and make their day turn into a thing of beauty.”        – Anthony T. Hincks

“In the darkest time, I have always believed, the light will shine.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

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Meet Little Red Bear & His Friends —  “Once Upon A Time In A Very Special Woods . . . .”

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day,
And no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.”                   – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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