Pandemonium
Oh my goodness, what a crazy few weeks it’s been with the state of the world, the Coronavirus and the media. To be honest, I try to be informed about current events but also don’t watch the news on a regular basis because it’s mostly negative. It’s refreshing whenever I hear the feel-good news I know is out there but not focused on.
In regard to the virus, I was concerned but not panicked. My feeling was to be aware, informed, take reasonable precautions but didn’t want to blow it out of proportion. Well, that was all before a meeting I attended late last week. People were talking about the stores being empty of provisions and near impossible to get your hands on toilet paper, paper towels and antibacterial supplies. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Why would there be a shortage, especially when going to the bathroom wouldn’t be different in my opinion. It was brought to my attention that since more people will be self-isolating they would need more at home. OK, so, get a few extra supplies.
The next day I had an appointment and on my way home thought I would stop and grab a few things, including the above mentioned items. I pulled into the parking lot and it was full, but didn’t think much about it until I got inside. There was only one cart left and it was mine. As I went to find the items I was looking for, shelf after shelf was empty. Seriously, I couldn’t believe my eyes. As I arrived by the paper towels and toilet paper section, an employee was opening boxes on a pallet. As soon as he placed packages of toilet paper on the shelf, they were removed. I was able to get one and was on my way to another set of empty shelves with a few rolls of paper towels which I put in my cart.
As I glanced around, I could feel the uneasiness around me and people were scrambling to fill their carts. Just then I had received a call from my son who was out of town and was describing my experience. Since he wasn’t home to gather supplies, I thought I would grab another pack of toilet paper for him. Not so fast, within a few minutes the entire pallet was gone…..sold out!
Continuing to shop I was baffled as there wasn’t a single piece of meat to be had……what? Not one single ounce. Again, I was floored at the state of the people. Should I be as concerned as everyone else seemed to be? Should I be in a panic or was it the media that was causing the frenzy? People were actually grabbing more than reasonable, causing shortages for most; a dog eat dog attitude. I was sad about the state of the situation. No one was looking out for anyone but themselves. Maybe it’s just me with my rose colored glasses on but I want to believe in humanity and helping each other when pushed.
My family and I are scheduled to take a trip in a few weeks and we are trying to patiently wait to see what happens next. Will our flights be canceled? Will the money we already paid be refunded? If we go, will there be food and supplies on the shelves or will we be left with nothing? Do we fall prey to the panic and cancel our trip? Or do we risk going in spite of the wide-spread chaos. So many things to consider when safety is a concern yet the flu virus is something we deal with every year.
I don’t want to overreact; I want to be reasonable and I want the world to be reasonable. I want to be cautious yet optimistic about the outcome. It’s hard to do that with pandemonium going on around us. I’ll stay informed, aware of the situation, take reasonable precautions and will pray for the people, the world and humanity. I’m sure there’s plenty of goodness happening out there, we’re just not hearing it; I’ll continue being hopeful. Stay well my friends and spread kindness.
xoxox…..Sheryl
PS….since writing this post, more information has come out and thankfully, our trip has been rescheduled.