It’s been a week since I temporarily closed my practice, a heartbreaking decision since being there is one of the highlights of my day. How I love saying hello to you, treating you, and then witnessing your improvement. It is such a fulfilling privilege that I feel blessed to have made Counterstrain therapy my calling.
But your well-being is my priority and I could no longer guarantee it since the environment was getting less safe by the day.
I’m still shocked how naive some people are about the seriousness of the current pandemic. Why else would someone come see me the day after returning from a trip abroad after being exposed for extended periods? Or only a couple of days after having a major family reunion? Don’t they understand how stealthy this is? Haven’t they realized they’re potential carriers? Haven’t they realized that being asymptomatic does not mean they won’t spread it to more vulnerable populations?
I can wash my hands and disinfect my office thoroughly but that won’t mitigate the consequences of such carelessness. Granted, these individuals are but a small fraction, but in this game it’s the small careless numbers that carry the greatest consequences.
Unfortunately, I continue witnessing the rampant carelessness, even in the face of the statistics.
No, this is not an extended holiday.
The way people were out and about over the past few days reminds me of what our Italian brethren told us was their attitude before things got out of control. Are we so entitled that we feel exempt? It doesn’t matter, as of today, March 23, 2020, the stay home order is mandatory in our state.
Some will choose to remain defiant.
“I will not lock up my kids!” someone said. “They have to live a normal life.”
I get it. I understand your reaction. You’re grieving, so am I, it’s a crucial realization that came after listening to Gregg Braden, one of my favorite authors and philosophers, last week. We’re grieving for what used to be, for the disruption of what knew and it’s suddenly putting us in uncharted waters.
But understand that there’s no normal life anymore. Trying to cling to such illusion is the denial and anger stages of grief, where we can’t accept that we’re no longer in control. There’s no going back.
And yes, your kids may be frustrated. Perhaps they don’t grasp the reality of the situation. If that’s the case, then it’s your responsibility. And if you think your kids are having it rough because they can’t go out and frolic like they used to, then you may want to do some soul searching.
So your kids can’t be with their friends, yet they still have access to technology, food, and a comfortable home. Oof! Sounds rough! Perhaps we should tell those kids in refugee camps or detained in immigration centers how bad those poor kids of yours are having it.
No, you don’t get to call the shots.
This is not about you.
This about our community, our country, and our world.
The concept may be intellectually familiar to you, but you may never have had the chance to put it into practice. We’ve gone many years of privilege and growth and this has blocked our ability to see how our actions affect the entire world.
Please don’t defy the orders, stay home!
Yes, social isolation is difficult, but this is not your place to question it. Check the statistics yourself.
Yes, our lives have been disrupted and the world permanently changed. There are lessons we must first embrace before we are granted the ability to move on. The sooner we all embrace those lessons, the sooner we’ll all be able to collectively move on to the next phase.
And yes, this, too, shall pass and we’ll eventually be able to hug again, hang out again, and look at our fellow humans as a source of love and wisdom rather than potential threats.
But we must do what we have to do.
Please, stay home as long as it’s needed. Only our collective efforts can flatten the curve.
If you ever proclaimed caring for the environment or the world, this is your time to show that your words were not only a social media façade.
Don’t defy the orders. Please stay home!
