This morning I needed to go pick up Kyle's school computer, so I figured I would check in on the shop and get the business mail from the PO. I was early for the pickup as I thought there would be a long line but luckily there was no line. So I didn't have to panic that my car would overheat and die on me while waiting in line. One stressor I could get rid of. After I left the school, I figured I would blast the radio and sing my stress away, I mean after all doing that a couple of weeks ago saved me for getting into a serious car accident as I was caught in the middle of a high speed chase. After this tough week, that day looks like good times!
Sadly, singing didn't help! All my stresses still hit me full swing! Since the boys weren't around, I could just give in and cry. I cried the whole way to the shop. Staying home with the boys is not a problem at all. Brings me back to the days when they were toddlers and I was helping them with their therapies! Although I do wish that I had textbooks to teach with, we will make do with what we have! My stressors come from how many are responding to the Coronavirus! My friends that know me well, know that the Blizzard of 78' is one of my favorite childhood memories. Not because of the horror of the storm but because people worked together to help one another. Neighbors that didn't like each other, put aside their differences and helped each other shovel. People checked in on those they had never met. People cared and most importantly, they understood the importance of working together and doing what needed to be done!
Coronavirus could be a time like the Blizzard of 78' but we are a divided America! As I recently said in a comment - How parents are reacting to 'flatten the curve' varies as much as the Autism Spectrum! Some of us have hunkered down and only leaving when we have to. Some are trying to find a balance of letting their kids still see friends and practice Social Distancing! And others are living life as normal, thinking their is nothing to worry about! Then you have all the FB post comments of the blame game, the media has blown this out of portion, the Dems did this on purpose to make Trump look bad, the comparing other viruses to this virus, etc....
The fact is, we are all in unchartered waters, some of us will have done the right thing and some will regret the decisions they made. My tears today came from fear! Fear that people will continue to think the Coronavirus is no big deal and I could lose my life! See if I get the Coronavirus and there are limited resources, there is a good chance I will not be the one to get a ventilator as it would go to someone that is younger and doesn't have several Autoimmune Diseases. While my brain knows this is the right decision for the greater, my heart knows that my children still need me! While my Daughter is grown and has her own children, she stills needs me for advice. My boys, my amazing Autistic boys need me to continue to push them out of their comfort zone, help them find ways to advocate for themselves, to teach them life skills for independence, teach them to cook more meals, etc...I could go on and on but I think you get my point. I fear the promise I made to Mike on our wedding day will be broken. I want to make it to our 50th Anniversary! And I fear losing Karleen's Ideas, my business that I have spent 12 years building! My way to help other Autistic & Special Needs children/adults and their families!
Now I am sure some of you reading this will think that I am overreacting. Well, I would rather overact and hunker down than spread the virus and cause someone to lose their life. That life could be your Mother, Father, Husband, Brother, Sister, Grandchild, etc... I see many comparing this to other viruses like H1N1, and others but you all need to stop! The number you are reporting from those viruses cannot be compared to Coronavirus numbers because those viruses are done and the Coronavirus is not! Also, instead of saying it was worse back then, how about looking at the fact that we learned where things went wrong and are trying a different approach to make sure this time less lives are lost! So in the end, if we have less fatalities, be happy that staying home saved lives!
If you are still trying to find a balance or are completely ignoring the 'flatten the curve,' I ask that you start to taking this seriously and do you part to 'flatten the curve.' The longer you ignore the guidelines, the longer this will last. The more you do your normal routine the greater the chance this will spread and that will lead to more fatalities! We all want our normal life back but that cannot happen until everyone pulls together and do their part to 'flatten the curve.'
This is a time that it is better to be safe than sorry!
