Please note that I am not a politician, health care professional, or scientist. These are all my own opinions.
THE FACTS
Be sure to visit www.cdc.gov for expert updates and information on all things CoVid-19.
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MY THOUGHTS
1. Rewatch “Superman.” “Which one?” you ask? “The only one,” I answer. 1978 “Superman: The Movie” starring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. My self-righteous nostalgia aside, I recommend it primarily because not only does it fly (pun intended) right in the face of the overblown cynicism pervading our current educational systems, news outlets, social media, entertainment, and culture; not only does it make you feel good about being alive; not only are the soundtrack themes and archetypal tropes inspirational and aspirational; but also the whole thing just overwhelms you with a bold sense of hope. Hope is always on the way. Hope is the default. Plus, it’s just a really fun movie with ground-breaking special effects—back before CGI turned superhero movies into dime-a-dozen, dark, obnoxious video games. And you don’t have to be a sci-fi fantasy nerd to “get” it. It’s a great movie to sit and watch by yourself, with friends, or your family. It’s just a really really great movie. And it’s really relevant right now in a way that the newer Superman movies seriously aren’t. Maybe people today are entertained by Henry Cavill or Brandon Routh. But everyone wanted to be Christopher Reeve in the 80s. Rewatch this movie to remember why.
True, flying and x-ray vision are ridiculous and impossible. That’s not the point. The point is that we all have power within ourselves to help those around us and make a difference in others’ lives. As Superman says at the end of the movie, “We’re all part of the same team!” Is that naive? Is it ignorant? Or is it exactly what we need? Superman caused literally zero of the problems that he fixed; yet in one instant duty called—and a split second later, he was mission-bound in the air! Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself or pointing jaded fingers at Catch 22 decisions is never the answer. This epidemic is not easily figured out. Instead, focus on being a Superman to someone else. You have that power. For some reason we have come to think of the “Overgrown Boy Scout” ideal of the 1940s and 50s as lame and passé. It’s not. There is nothing cooler than being the one to put your desires aside and help—not boss around, not self-righteously nitpick, not repeat clever slogans, not garner a fresh social media following, but actually help—in a crisis. Nothing cooler than that.
2. Learn something. Of course this is a great time to catch up on reading and even to take an online course in something that interests you. But what I’m really referring to is asking yourself: What can I learn from this quarantine? Only a fool comes away from crisis as a lesser, defeated human being. Even if it’s something simple like learning to spend less on eating out or not shelling out hundreds of dollars a month on your hair and nails. This is part of the reason I like experiences like camping. I get too coddled and high-maintenance when my life is business-as-usual. After camping a few times, I’ve learned to wear less makeup, for instance. Think of this experience like camping, if you have to. What have you been doing in your life that has been unnecessary and weighing you down? Now is the time to learn how to get rid of it and focus on something better. Time for a G.K. Chesterton quotation!
“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.
In inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”
3. Go outside more. Not to public places, of course. I mean, the outdoors. If you know me, you know that I am an indoor-junkie. But—divulging one life lesson from the past two weeks—I have learned that I really need to go outside more. The sun and I are not usually on speaking terms, due to my serious lack of melanin; however, desperate times call for desperate measures! Sunlight elevates emotional state and vitamin D helps absorb other vitamins (which you should be taking daily). There is so much research on why the outdoors is good for you, that I’m not going to waste time boring you with all of them. Just do it! If I can spurn my vampire-like tendencies, you can go outside too.
Furthermore, if your kids are getting on your nerves, send them outside! The outdoors is a new alien territory to them, I realize, but kids are actually made to go outside. Playing in the dirt and being in the sun is really good for their bodies for a variety of reasons. Make sure that you and they wear some kind of SPF, though. Skin cancer is a thing.
4. Do cardio, but save the fad diets for later. We all wish we could lose a few pounds. I get it. Right now, I’m trying to work off 15lbs myself. However, your body needs fat to fight infection. Unless you are morbidly obese (which can put you into the “high risk” category for this virus), skip the fat-loss diets for the moment. Ketosis may not be your friend right now. Also, opt for cardio workouts as opposed to yoga or Pilates. Of course, be mindful of your age and health concerns before doing exercise. But remember that a healthy heart, strong muscles, and clear lungs are your best assets right now. Take care of yourself. You’re not any good to yourself or others if you are sedentary in your social distancing. Personally, I hate sweating and I loathe running. However, I have recently added short bursts of running into my daily cardio routine. I increase these bursts more and more each day. I like to visualize Young Clark Kent outrunning the train for motivation. It’s like being a kid again. It’s fun!
Plus, the more you run past the windows of fellow quarantine-ers, the more you motivate them to follow suit. Ironically, this is exponentially more motivational the less athletic you were to begin with! When Michael Phelps runs past your window, you tend to write it off. But. . .I ask you: Is there anything more motivational in a pandemic than seeing someone who is clearly out of breath, pushing herself up that hill for the fourteenth day in a row?
5. Tithe. Money is tight right now. However, if you are a Christian and usually tithe, keep tithing. If you are a Christian and rarely tithe, start tithing regularly. If you are a Christian and have never tithed, I bet you are terrible with money and never seem to have enough: This is because you don’t tithe. It is a fact that we live in a cursed world (i.e. CoVID-19). This includes your money. However, God says that you can protect your money from this curse if you give him the “first fruits.” (Read: First—not last—ten percent of your paycheck.) Malachi 3:8-12 explicitly explains that not only do you lift the curse by tithing, but also that you can actually test God with this. When does God ever say it’s okay to test Him? Like...never. Except for tithing! I am here to tell you that once I started tithing, my finances and overall well-being have significantly improved. Is everything perfect all the time? No. But my life is better because of tithing. Part of the reason our nation has thrived is because there are people inside it that give to churches and charities regularly. Now is not the time to feel greedily victimized and faithlessly hoarding of finances. If you give regularly to your church and or charities, keep doing it. If you haven’t yet—no time like the present.
If you are not a Christian, become a Christian and tithe.
6. Take collagen. All this hand-washing can strip your hands of natural oils. While lotion may seem like the obvious antidote, it can also trap bacteria and viruses onto your skin. If you take collagen, though, you can moisturize your skin from the inside out. Some people like to use collagen powder, but I hate the taste. I take it in pill form. Take the recommended amount, or you are wasting your time. The really good ones require you to take three or four pills per daily serving. That may seem like too many pills, but you gotta think, this is not only for your face and hands, but it’s also for your whole body. I’ve taken collagen for a few years now, and my skin always feels like it has lotion on it. It takes about a month of daily doses before you see results.
I’m not going to recommend a brand, because most of the time I buy the most inexpensive version with the best reviews, and the prices fluctuate from month to month. I’m assuming that if you can read this post, you know how to do a simple Google search and buy things on Amazon. Also, I’ve learned that my body builds up a tolerance to brand loyalty. I get better results by changing brands periodically.
7. Save the essential oils for later. They may be microbial. They may help calm simple respiratory symptoms. They aren’t going to keep you from contracting a highly contagious virus. Don’t count on them as your one-stop-shop for health. If you are showing tell-tale CoVID-19 symptoms, call the doctor.
8. If you’ve lost your job, look for pandemic work. Some people are being furloughed from their jobs right now. Some are even being laid off as companies go into self-preservation mode. If you find yourself having to take a pay cut, or without pay entirely, start Googling pandemic job opportunities and/or work-at-home jobs. Grocery stores are hiring shelf stockers right now. Online businesses need delivery people. Hospitals need emergency helpers. This won’t be forever, but it will help you pay the bills and buy necessities. You can also be a Superman helping society in a time of great need.
9. Don’t depend on the government. For that matter, don’t depend on anyone except God and yourself. Now is not the time to go looking for and counting on handouts. I know the government is working on a stimulus right now. Don’t count on it. What if something happens at the last second, and you don’t get it? What if you get it and five minutes later it gets stolen? What if it ends up being grossly under what you were expecting? You need to learn to live within your means—especially right now.
10. Fast and pray. While not everyone should fast right now because of health reasons, if you are able, consider fasting. (It saves money on food for one thing!) But also, it shows God and yourself that you are serious about your prayers. Any time I have fasted and prayed, I have had amazing outcomes in my life. It’s not easy, and that’s the main reason why you should do it. Life isn’t easy, and especially not right now. And, frankly, I think pursuing ease in a time of total uncertainty is a fool’s errand. Up till five seconds ago, we lived in the easiest, wealthiest, freest society that had ever graced the planet, and it yet existed simultaneously with a prevailing zeitgeist riddled with entitlement and discord! It seems to me that only when life is rough do we learn our greatest lessons and achieve our greatest breakthroughs. Besides, is anyone ever happy in a martyr syndrome? Are you willing to let go of some of your convenience and comfort and learn something truly amazing about God and yourself? Only people who have fasted and prayed before can begin to grasp what that means. And you are free to venture into this “other side” at any point. And you are free to return to it and venture deeper each time. All you have to do is put down the fork for a second and pick up a Bible.
Your own personal Fortress of Solitude, as it were.
The End
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