Are we all COVID Crazy? For some, this is a huge life shift! Everyday life doesn’t suffer from many disruptions. Many live close to where they grew up. They say moving is a very stressful event in life- for the military, it’s a WAY of life. Change is inevitable, a constant. I remember being in Afghanistan in 2009 when H1N1 swine flu was ravaging the Earth. We were so far removed from everything it didn’t matter- we barely heard about it until they wouldn’t let us return to the U.S. without getting the vaccine. Oddly enough, when I got back and was in the Battalion aid station, there was a sign on the wall that said, “There is no vaccine for H1N1 Swine Flu.” The CDC does state the vaccine was created in November of 2009 so I suppose I can trust that’s what they gave us.

So, here we are- 2020, almost into the second quarter, and we are seeing a world-wide shut down. That’s the biggest event in life most have ever seen. Then there are military people. Active, Reserve, Guard, families, Vets- they’ve been jerked around, all over the world and to them, this is no surprise. There are fundamental differences in how the military and civilian world think. Part of why I created Mental Grenade was to talk about the military/civilian divide and the difficulty in communication. We need to try harder to draw in the misunderstood categories in society and embrace them. I’m not touting “tolerance” and all the ignorance surrounding the misuse of that word or “love”. Look at all the faces of people holding “Love TRUMPS hate” signs and you’ll see there’s a disconnect in the understanding of love. But, I digress.

Stuck at Home:
There’s a chance to do something useful with this time. How are you using it?
Hopefully you’re: Eating well, exercising, reading, spending time building bonds with your immediate family or roommates, playing board games, working on projects that have been on the back burner that you now HAVE TIME to do.
Hopefully you’re NOT: Eating tons of junk and calling this whole thing a vacation or cheat period from normal living, binge watching a ton of TV, or wasting your time so when you go back to work you can start complaining again about how you don’t have time to get things done…

BE SMART:
If you’re subscribing to more streaming services or going on an Amazon shopping spree but you don’t have new income you might want to rethink how you’re doing business.
Stock up on a few staples- beans and rice are low cost and if you buy the right kinds, can provide all the essential nutrients you need to survive long term. I’m not expecting there to be a food shortage but having SOMETHING in reserve would be wise. I think multi-vitamins and some electrolytes would be good back ups as well.

BE RESPONSIBLE:
If you feel sick STAY HOME! If you don’t need to go out, stay home. If you don’t need toilet paper, towels, wipes, bottled water, etc- Don’t Buy It! If you live close to neighbors, check on them and see if they need anything, especially the elderly. If there’s a locally owned/operated business that’s still open- buy from them and not the big chain stores.

Allow this to be a time of self reflection. Who are you? Why do you do what you do? What happened in your past that’s still affecting your present? What can you work on to make you a better person? Find reasons to be grateful during this time. If you can, make the most of time with family. Relationships are the most important thing in this life so invest in them. Call someone and check on them. Use the internet for good and don’t go COVID Crazy.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (The words of Solomon, the wise king)
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.