Fork – Day 769

A Gigantic Fork – Photo: L. Weikel

Fork

The photo above is of a gargantuan fork that’s been in our cutlery drawer for several decades. I put a pen beside it to give context to the extraordinary size of that fork. But even with that, I doubt you’re getting the full flavor of what I’m trying to convey.

But what I may be struggling to convey in the photo is actually something I sense we’re all feeling. Something we all know, at the deepest level of our being.

“Stick a fork in me; I’m done.” Or perhaps more accurately: “Stick a fork in us; we’re done.”

That’s the sentiment I’m feeling at the moment, and it’s threatening to overwhelm me. I don’t think I’m speaking solely for myself, either. Far from it.

So What’s My Deal?

I can’t say for sure. Perhaps this is part of what I ‘do’ in the world. I pay attention to what’s happening in our shared reality and do my best to hold space in my heart for others. We can’t all be on the front lines, after all. We can’t all be reporting on it, either. Not all of us are trained for – or even suited to – engaging in what, at this moment in our evolution, feels like exacting the greatest of sacrifices day in and day out.

But even though I’m not doing it myself, I’m paying attention. I’m also paying attention (on behalf of those who are so engrossed in the day to day efforts of keeping people alive and safe) to what is going on at the highest levels of our government, right before our very eyes. There is a concerted effort, it seems, to rip us asunder while we’re all preoccupied with exponential infection rates and vertical hospitalization and death rates.

While we fight for survival, we’re being taken to the cleaners. Sold out. Compromised in the worst ways. It’s a cynical and even diabolical calculation. But it must be called out. We must each do our part to end the madness.

What’s Our Deal?

We need to stay home. We need to be smart and vigilant and take this threat to our health seriously. We would be wise to pay attention to what we have and what we cherish – and resist the temptation to lament what we’re being asked to forego for a few days, weeks, or months.

We need to stick a fork in our belligerent refusal to acknowledge the astounding suffering of so many in our country (and around the world, but especially here). It’s done. It serves no one – except, perhaps, those who are banking on our preoccupation.

Things are getting worse. All the warnings about what would happen if people ignored the warnings about gathering at Thanksgiving are coming to pass. A single county in California just logged 100,000 new cases in the past week. And yet people shop and carry on – as if nothing is happening.

We can see – right before our eyes – what will happen a month from now. Only it will be worse. Guaranteed.

We need to stick a gargantuan fork in our denial of reality because it’s killing us and distracting us. We must refuse to be distracted any longer.

We’re Better Than This

It’s time to take responsibility for ourselves and each other. If there’s a strain of Covid that’s in the UK that’s spreading at a rate 70% faster than what we’re encountering now, we need to be smart. We need to take even greater precautions than what’s being asked of us. We need to stop living in denial and realize that what they’re dealing with, we’ll be dealing with in the blink of an eye.

We need to love ourselves and each other enough to realize that we’re in this together.

We need to stick a fork in our selfish ways. Ultimately, those ways are hurting us all. They’re breaking our hearts, wearing us down, and sapping our will to be kind and courageous. And perhaps worst of all, they’re serving those who want us distracted from an unprecedented power grab that could have untold implications.

We must find our will. We must be vigilant. We must find our compassion.

And we must remember: we’re better than this.

(T-342)

Stark times – Day 486

Stark Times – Photo: L. Weikel

Stark Times

The situation we’re facing at the moment appears pretty dire. I’d say we’re facing unquestionably stark times as individuals, as families, as a country, and as global citizens.

If you don’t appreciate just how worrisome this situation is, I suggest you listen to the first 20 minutes or so of this You Tube interview. It’s chilling.

It’s chilling, yes – but it also contains essential information that we all need to hear and fully process, because hiding our heads in the sand is not going to make this situation better nor will willful ignorance help us get through it any more quickly. In fact, just the opposite.

Who’s Susceptible?

One thing I found extremely interesting (if disturbing) was that we’ve been telling ourselves that the people most at risk of succumbing to the virus are older people who have underlying respiratory issues. This is based on information gleaned from the outbreak in China.

The trouble with extrapolating from that data is the fact that so many Chinese men are smokers. Indeed, Chinese men smoke a lot more than Chinese women, which may be a significant driver as far as why older Chinese men are often those least likely to survive the virus.

What’s being discovered in the United States (with, admittedly, the limited data we have at the moment due to the dearth of test kits made available) is that smoking is not as significant a risk factor here. Rather, one of the highest risk factors in our country, besides age and respiratory underlying issues, is obesity.

Think about that! That’s a huge problem in our country. And it almost certainly makes a much larger portion of our population susceptible to less than optimal outcomes should they contract the virus.

This is huge.

It’s the Testing

There’s so much we don’t know. And man, I hate that. I hate it when I can remember when we could rely on being totally on top of our game as a nation. I love remembering how our policies were the best anyone could come up with because they were developed before a situation became a crisis.

So much of what we do not know stems from the fact that our federal government has botched our ability to test for infection. It’s been an epic fail. And sadly, we’re still not getting straight answers as far as when we can expect substantial numbers of test kits to be distributed around the country.

We need to demand accountability. We need to demand straight answers.

We need to demand THE TRUTH. And sorry, there aren’t different versions of that. The truth is the truth.

And our lives depend upon hearing it – whether we like it or not.

Full Worm Moon – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-625)