March 9th

Yesterday I went to a School Board Candidate’s House to discuss upcoming events.  He, his wife and children had been out “canvassing” neighborhoods earlier in the day.  In the course of it, the Candidates wife was chased after by a large Dog and Bit on the Backside.  Poor thing.  She was limping around the house a bit and her first grade son had asked earlier if he could see her “butt.”

That was a “No.”

It was good to just get out of the House, still recovering from the intensity of emotions and stress from last week.

In fact, the day before I had a fairly decent sized Anxiety attack.  I began to realize I was hyper-ventilating.  The actual “attack” happens when your brain is flooded with adrenaline.  It is the same chemical that hits your body when you are in a “Fight” or “Flight” scenario.  Adrenaline is the stuff that floods people’s brains when they lift a car off a kid or do other extra-ordinary feats of strength.  It is a survival chemical, it is not to be ignored.

And, the few Anxiety attacks I have had, came on very sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, usually after great spans of stress.  During my other “miniish” anxiety attacks I just naturally took a swift and vigorous walk to get the “nervousness” out of me.  This day, I began to realize I was suddenly in it and hyperventilating and began to force myself to breathe in deliberately through my nose and blow the air slowly out my mouth.  Then, not wanting to run out the door and pace swiftly up and down the neighborhood, I turned to the stairs and began going up and down them as fast as I could, trying to force the flood of chemicals out of my body, burn them out as it were.

My husband was in the kitchen and I just said “I have to go up and down the stairs to get this energy out.”  My legs are sore today.  But the stair thing really did help, it just burned off most of the adrenaline rush.  As I carefully breathed.  In with the nose, out slowly blowing with the mouth.

A few years ago, I called 9-11. The Anxiety Attack came on and what worried me was it felt like a heart attack and my legs were rubber, I could hardly stand, much less do the physical activity required to burn off the Adrenaline.  The Fire Fighters and Paramedics who came were so awesome, one holding my hand and instructing me to breathe in my nose and out my mouth as I sat on the steps of my stairs, tears streaming down my face.  My blood pressure was certainly elevated.  They asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, I said “No”.

Later, I asked a Paramedic friend “How often do you get these calls?” A couple times a week was the answer.  “What do you do if they don’t follow your instructions on breathing?” 

“We just let them pass out, then we go from there.”  It was comforting in a weird way as it told me “It’s not just me.”

But back to Coronavirus.  I got out to the store today.  Maryland is at the beginning of the spread.  About 27 or so cases.  It’s still early.  I got myself some lovely Lillies in an attempt to affirm Spring!  I had a few things to pick up but I looked down the toilet paper aisle and it was still fully stocked and that reassured me that people were not yet in full panic.

I especially wanted to pick up Vitamin C.  I used to take Vitamin C religiously to ward off Colds and this Skeptic at work tried to dissuade me.  “You just Pee it out,” he said.  But I remember when I was on a religious regiment, I never did get so much as a Cold so what could it hurt.  

I kinda wanted Gummies, they were gone, in fact, most of the Vitamin C was gone.  I got the next to last bottle of 100 one thousand MG bottles.  A few days ago, I saw that the cough syrup was fairly cleaned out.  So while Toilet paper is not scare, home remedies are flying off the shelf. 

It’s a Soft Run on Products…not noticeable, until you notice it.

But, in Maryland, it’s still early.  Only 27 cases in the whole state.  People with commonalities, travel to the Middle East, Italy or China.  I am curious what it will look like 10 or 15 days from now.  An entire Episcopalian Congregation in DC is being asked to self-quarantine and Senator Ted Cruz, a Congressman and several pundits who were at a CPAC conference in D.C. last week are quarantining as a guy who now is positive was there and shaking hands.  They’ve cancelled the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston, which relieves me because my son was due to video tape it.  And in his County in Massachusetts, there is a Cluster.

So we talked today.  He is smart.  He is prepared for a long duration of living indoors.  But I worry.  I worry about Social Breakdown more than anything.  But, he also was about 11 during the L.A. Riots, he’s been through plenty of Earthquakes and very up close and personal with 9-11.  So he’s Smart. But I worry. 

My Daughter is ready to Bug-Out and come here.  And she’s also very Smart.  But I worry.

But this thing of Nature, which is being visited on us, will teach us lessons for the future and it will surely remind us all what is Important.  Love is truly important, Family is Important, Our Friendships are Important.  At it’s Base, Coronavirus reminds us to our Core, we are only Human.