Because I work with the medical community, I get frequent updates about the Covid-19 and other health challenges. There's an interactive map where you can look up globally or locally the instances of everything from chicken pox to Ebola. It's big in the news right now, and while I agree with taking precautions, I also want to point out that the regular seasonal flu poses a great health risk too that rarely gets news coverage. But the Coronavirus is still somewhat of an unknown quantity, so people are leery about it. One of the things that makes it scarier than, say, SARS, is that sometimes the infected person doesn't get symptoms, and they can be a carrier and transmit the virus to others without knowing they've even got it. If something makes you instantly or violently sick, you know to stay in bed and keep it to yourself. But if you only have a light case of it or no symptoms at all, you continue with your daily routine and aren't aware you're spreading it around.
The Canadian government is encouraging people to stock up on food and other supplies in case of supply disruption or unexpected quarantine. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have to chuckle a little, because we store a year's supply all the time, even in times of plenty (perhaps especially in times of plenty, because you know they don't last). And in addition to the flu, of course, we're also feeling effects of native blockades on transportation in this area. You never know when the local stores will be empty. So this week I've taken a bit of an inventory to make sure we're stocked up and prepared.
If we want to live on pasta and tomatoes, we're set. There's a lot of bottled fruit and grape juice, the where-with-all to make bread and homemade pasta, and some frozen vegetables, though not as much as I'd like, since we're late into winter at this point. Lots of garlic. Several weeks' supply of toilet paper. Got my cough medicine. Water filter in case I have to melt snow. The only thing I don't have is a back-up generator in case the power goes out, which really should be at the top of every Canadian's list, if you think about it. But I have a gas fireplace that will turn on without electricity, and somehow I can't picture the power and the natural gas going off at the same time. Though I suppose it's possible. I also am able to remotely connect to work, in case the city shuts down and I can't go in to the office.
Beyond the toilet paper and the bottled peaches, though, there's the mental preparedness. Could I handle two weeks of mandatory quarantine in the house without going crazy? I have my books, my musical instruments, a bunch of good DVDs and CDs, my dog, and my loom. I like the people I'm sharing my house with. Yep, I'm totally fine with not budging for 14 days. Sounds rather enticing, in fact. Could we maybe do a test run...?
The most important thing, I think, is to have an attitude of "We can handle anything." I have my faith, a lot of experience having to be tough in the face of adversity, a loving family, and the strength of my pioneer ancestors behind me. I would like to think I also have enough humility to know when to ask for help when I need it. I believe strongly in prayer as well as preparation. So whatever life is going to bring me, I hope to be able to just hang onto my hat and enjoy the ride.
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