WHAT DO WE DO? The Pandemic of 2020 What do I do? I listen to music. I read a lot. I study a lot. I pray a lot. In January, February and early March 2020, I heard about this disease that was causing so many people to die, but it seemed so distant and far away. As the death tolls began to rise in China and then Italy, I began to pay attention. On Friday, March 13, 2020 we were called into a meeting at work and told to go home until further notice, and that no one was being laid off. Unbeknownst to me, my daughter was experiencing something similar at work. They given largely the same message, but to take work and supplies home with them and to leave the premises. When she picked up her daughter from latchkey, she found out that the schools were closed until further notice. We decided to brave grocery shopping the next day and it nearly killed me. I literally took the rest of the day to regroup. Cleaning my body, gargling my throat, drinking hot tea, resting and doing everything possible to soothe my body from whatever it had encountered during our shopping trip to three stores and to the pharmacy. On Sunday, March 15, I went to my daughter’s house to help her to set up her home office. While there, we listened to Gov. DeWine’s broadcast about Ohio shutting down. I made the decision to go home and stay inside until further notice. As of May 15, 2020, I had only left my condo to retrieve mail or take out the trash. How has this affected me? I realize that there are so many things that I took for granted. Having the freedom to go to the grocery and select what I want to eat has been my biggest hurdle. My friends and daughter have helped by ordering groceries and having them delivered to me. I have ordered groceries and did not always receive what I asked for. At least I could enjoy free delivery of my prescriptions and free delivery of some items from the pharmacy. Being alone by choice is so different from being alone because you have no choice. I miss hugging and kissing my daughter and granddaughter. I miss getting together for meals. I miss being able to look at them and have real conversations. It is difficult to know how they feel or what they are thinking. My daughter’s father died on April 9, 2020. That was so challenging for her and me. I reached out to comfort her over the phone. I just wanted to drop everything and go to her and hug her. I wanted to let her cry in my arms. Instead, I had to distance myself from her. I know I have experienced fear. I have experienced doubt. I have gone through periods of wondering if I have the virus. I never had any of the major indicators of the virus, but I knew that I was high-risk. I really had to talk to myself about my health and ask myself, “Why did you allow your health to deteriorate like this?” I wondered why I did not talk to my medical teams about what I could do to eliminate every chronic disease that I currently have. In view of the current situation, I found that I was in every category of high-risk. I did not like that and felt like there was something that I needed to do. I began to research my books, my prayers and all of the spiritual educational materials in my possession, and asked God what I could do to help myself, my family and my friends. Before I could take action, my church started a national prayer line in which prayers were offered to all who desired them seven days a week and multiple times a day. This line has helped me tremendously. Shortly thereafter, I began to contact my relatives far and near to check on them. I contacted friends near and far and did the same. Eventually, I compiled a few prayers for health and well-being and sent them to those who I felt were most vulnerable. Today, I am taking it one day at a time. I am trusting and believing that we will survive this pandemic. I am trusting and believing that all will be well. I am trusting and believing that we will all learn our lesson from this event. Gerri Collier is a proud mother and grandmother of one daughter and one granddaughter. She is an avid reader and writer and has spent the majority of her life doing one or the other. Gerri has spent the last four years as a state volunteer and central Ohio team volunteer for AARP. She is a member of the Professional Women’s Group of Dress for Success Columbus. Gerri has earned degrees in Accounting, Business Management, Human Resource Management and Organizational Leadership, and Metaphysics. She is currently employed as a Business Compliance Auditor. ENVISIONPROVENSUCCESS.COM | 35
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