A small slice of Chaos

If you think this will be your typical one category style blog, you are mistaken. That’s right, this blog will touch on various topics depending on what comes into my mind for the week. Why? Because chaos is what life is. You never really are one topic, in fact it is multiple topics and situations that build you as a person and quite frankly there really is no guide, no warning for what you will encounter. That is why I am here, I will explore various topics based on my own experience as well as stories and lessons learned from other peoples perspective, to bring you a little slice of chaos.

With all that out of the way I would like to direct your attention to the topic; something that even the most organized individual will encounter during the chaotic road of life. The Pandemic! Yep, I am going there, this article will be talking about my experiences, as well as how I have overcome and endured the pandemic, in hopes to help some of you ether take it more serious, or to relax just a bit with ways you can overcome this hardship caused by the outbreak of Covid-19.

Like many of you I began this pandemic in uncertainty, as someone who does not follow or watch what is going on politically,I only knew what Facebook had to offer, and let’s face it Facebook isn't the most honest place for information. I will admit, I was among the various people who was making jokes about having no toilet paper in stores, In fact I made jokes about the all over toilet paper shortage, agreeing with Facebook that panic is just plain silly. With that aside I keep my home well stocked, and by that I mean I buy things in bulk, therefore the toilet paper shortage never effected me, because before all of this I was able to keep these things on hand. On that note this shows how quickly you can assume others are well off, you see I budget well and am paid really well so I can afford buying things in bulk, verses those less fortunate who cannot, and often rely on paycheck to paycheck purchases or a small pack of one dollar toilet paper from the Dollar General. I never realized upon joining in with others who could afford to not be concerned in posting these jokes. This became a hard reality when I encountered not just one person however MANY people who had to resort to desperate means for toilet paper because they could not access it. This is a harsh reality, I immediately halted the jokes, this was not a joke, even if the virus was not that serious (remember we are talking about the start of this), the panic and reactions of others was a pandemic in it’s self.

The worst of it all was the toilet paper was the only concern for the majority of people that I encountered, all I heard about was the TP shortage,but fuck it was far deeper then that. In my area grocery stores was near empty with hardly any meat or even a throw in the nuke meal, This was a lifeline for most elderly as well as people with small children. I have a daughter of my own and would never in my life want her to go hungry, most of all from people’s selfish actions. I was a vegan at the time the outbreak started in the United States, this made securing food for myself (my daughter and husband still ate meat and dairy), eventually resulting in me converting back to eating meat and dairy. I’ll give you my reason for this choice,you see as a vegan I would be buying extra plant-based food items,mostly referencing vegetable. The reason this would be purchased extra for the factor my husband and daughter both have their sides and vegetables prepared in butter, butter is a dairy product in which as a vegan I would not be able to have, so in a sense I would have to prepare their meals as they eat it, then prepare my plant based meal.So in taking the step to convert back I only had to buy what my family needed, this allowed those coming in after me to shop for what they need. I am only one person however one person making the choice to not buy more then they need could be the reason another family can have a meal. It does not take much to make the world remain steady. All that you have read up until now, all of it was brought on by panic, selfish actions and not being strategic We all can make it, we all can make sure others are able, we just have to stop and breath.

Moving forward came the shut downs and unemployment crisis, at least for Maryland. Without disclosing my place of work, I want to take the time to say how grateful I am for the company I do work for they handled the pandemic well, and made sure we was taken care of as employees. With that being said, I worked the entire pandemic I was not laid off, however I was on a 20 hour work week for a few weeks during the summer months. I was lucky enough to have received my unemployment without any problems. However I seen many who was not so lucky, various people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic and still are struggling to find work. I have taken some time to research as you will find I like to be prepared for any occurrence in life and by occurrence I mean any chaotic spring of events, which would include If I would be out of work for any given amount of time. I have found that nearly all of my billing companies is willing to work with anyone you just have to communicate to them that you are struggling and they should help you best to their abilities. There is also various loans that can be taken out for any credit situation American Web Loan accepts loans for all credit types, and is safe and secured. A loan may be an easier way for you too get some money in order to get yourself ahead, and by ahead I mean so you don’t end up swimming in debt by the time you are able to find a job. Remember this is only one chapter, this is not the end.

With that being said the loss of jobs also have another negative effect. It’s causing a divide for people, where they are disregarding safety for protests that the virus is not real, and to keep businesses open, It causes a rebellious nature within people because they are desperate to prove that businesses shouldn't shut down, that they will disregard any measures taken to prevent the spread, including refusal to wear face coverings, and not obeying the social distancing marks. I have seen instances where they are coughing and spitting on other people, some resorting to licking things in stores. This alone will increase the contamination and spread and have the reverse effect then they was trying to achieve by protest. This type of behavior in my opinion is what got us to the point we are in now.

Now everyone’s favorite part, MASK wearing. I had first heard about the mask wearing when my husband mentioned he heard a rumor, me wanting to always be prepared ordered us masks, my husband who works construction (again not going to detail about the type or company) had a respirator with filters. I didn’t think the virus was that scary, this was prior to the panic buys and the jobs lost, and most of all it was prior to the lives lost. From the very start I didn’t think the virus was as deadly as many was saying, and found it to be a joke, but I still prepared and decided I would follow the rules set just for the possibility. Moving forward something simple like the mask being worn in public seems to be the biggest inconvenience to most people, some claim it’s removing their freedom. My take on this “removing freedom” is they are not telling us we cannot go out in public just to cover our faces to prevent the spread of this deadly virus.Something small can go a long way in bringing us back to normal life,

About the main debate on if the virus is or is not a threat to humanity. As someone who started out thinking that all the fuss was a distraction from the election (to set the record straight I am not political in any fashion no do I support one party or another I am simply unbiased to ether side.) I have not only witnessed it’s devastating as well as it’s not so devastating parts. While I have seen and known various deaths that occurred while the deceased was positive for covid. My facebook newsfeed is filled with passing of people who would have otherwise would have been alive this day, even if they had bad health. On the other hand I have also spoken with and seen people test positive and get sick, some getting sicker then others and some not even knowing they had the virus. This can be said for the flu, pneumonia and other illnesses with survival rates. I say if you have pneumonia and aren't taking it serious, or trying to prevent others from getting it then that's just as stupid, same with the flu. Covid is a virus that does have a death count and as my thoughts any virus or disease with a death count should always be taken with caution. Covid is still a new into this world virus that we do not have any knowledge or alot of information in regards to it, which until there is a full understanding we should take every precaution we can, not just to keep our own selves safe but to keep others safe as well.

In addition to how serious the virus is, it is your job if you test positive to inform the proper individuals,it can be a stressful moment and your memory may be hazy, however it is important to calm down take a breath and think. You have to be sure you know who you was in contact with,as not notifying the appropriate could cause further spread. An example would be if you are working, and was near your co-workers for any form of discussion, if you touched any items that they touched, or spent any time near these people, mask on or mask off. If the people you was in contact with are not instructed they was at risk, they may continue on going to work, interacting with other individuals and spreading the virus to them, those individual take it back to several more people. All these infections could be avoided upon the proper people being notified. Again we do not know the extent of the virus, therefore it could be passed by second party. This is such a small step however this step I feel could be one of the most important in helping prevent the spread of Covid as well as it very well could get us one step closer to living normal once more.

In conclusion I feel this virus should have been taken seriously from the very start, if it had it would not have gotten to the point it has. If you disagree that the virus is not as serious as it is portrayed at least you can agree that any virus with a death count should be taken seriously as previously stated. In the end we all should be doing our part to keep everyone safe and to eradicate Covid-19.