We Should ALL Be Prepared At ALL Times

Most people tend to make fun of those that prepare for end of the world type situations. I think we've learned, the hard way, that it is totally realistic to be prepared, to some extent, for any chaotic situation. This could be something as simple as having extra batteries/ flashlights/ candles for a power outage should there be a bad storm or as complex as what we are going through right now where we need to have all necessary supplies at hand.

I saw a video about a woman who budgeted just $5 a month for the dollar store and she would go and purchase things like basic kitchen tools like spatulas or measuring cups or things like toilet paper / paper towel. As this was the dollar store, this meant she could buy any 5 items that she needed for her house. This wasn't her way of stocking up on extra supplies; this was her way of building up her house over time because she could not afford to buy everything the standard household needs at once. I think that this idea could be a great way to prepare for any necessity storage should any disaster strike.

In my opinion, the shortages in the store and the crowds and lines in the store are truly horrifying. I think that going forward, if we all plan ahead a bit more and allocate a budget for stocking up on things like batteries, paper goods (or in my ethical and eco-friendly opinion - reusable alternatives to paper goods), non-perishables or food items with longer shelf life, then we as a society will do so much better should another disaster strike.

It is truly unfortunate that this situation has escalated so drastically and regardless of your opinions on the legitimacy or severity of the situation, I think we can all agree that we can all do better. Being prepared doesn't have to be as intense as an underground bunker, it can be as simple as $5 a month going towards you and your family and/or friends well - being.

Sick Days and Leave Need To Be More Socially and Systematically Acceptable

We've all been there. Too sick to go into work or school, but too behind on bills or anxious to call out.

This is something that has bothered me for a very long time. I've never understood why the procedure for calling out sick to school is so intense. It's almost felt like you need a letter from the president for your absence to be acceptable.

Recently I called out sick from one of my jobs, yes multiple jobs, because I had a fever and this was before COVID-19. One of my supervisors emailed me back saying no worries but to please provide a doctors note. I was only sick with a fever and couldn't really afford the $50 copay at the doctor for them to simply tell me I had a fever. I explained this to her and it was fine, but for some people it may not be. When you're calling out sick you're missing out on your pay for that day, assuming you, like me, work at an hourly rate. Then, on top of it, you have to pay for the doctor. It's a terrible situation!

In my opinion, this situation has blown up so intensely because of the hole in our system that doesn't allow for people to take even just a day or a couple of hours to heal.

I could go on and on about this topic, but in summary I think that what we need to learn as a society when going forward is that we need to make it socially and systematically acceptable for people to take sick days. In school growing up I would hear parents talk about a cold or lice or something going around the school and it would always go back to, "once one of them gets it we all get it" and that shouldn't be the case. Anyone should be allowed to and comfortable with staying home to heal and therefore subsequently preventing others from also getting sick.

This situation has escalated so intensely and quickly that I, a 21 year old college kid who works 3 jobs and commutes to school, am not working or getting paid from any one of my three jobs and in addition to that, I need to wait indefinitely for knee surgery because of the insane state that the hospitals are in. Obviously there are people with worse situations than me and I do understand that there is quite literally a pandemic going on, but my life is quite literally on hold until this calms down because I can not walk until I have this surgery. It's just frustrating and I think we all need to realize that this should never happen again. We have the resources and knowledge now for this not to happen, so we need to have better protocols in place.

Stockpiling and Greed Does Not Help Anyone

The number of videos I've seen going around of people, even old women, fighting over paper towel is truly terrifying to me. I am in true shock and disbelief at the state the world is in right now, but more so at the way people are reacting. Someone once told me that I may not have control over the situation, but I have control over how I respond to the situation. The correct response to a pandemic is not to fight with people and hoard 50 packages of toilet paper when you have two people in your home. The correct response is to work together as a community and a society.

Personally, my family is signing up to make paper bag lunches for our parish's midnight run, since we are unable to do the actual midnight run due to the present situation. I baked Irish Soda Bread that we will be bringing over to some of our older neighbors. I'm not saying we're perfect and I'm certainly not saying you need to do anything, but at the very least please just have common decency. If you know you don't need 50 packages of toilet paper, do not take that many. The only way our situation is going to get better is if we work together. Obviously this doesn't help with the spread of the virus and quarantines, but this will certainly help with everyone's attitudes, worries and the overall horrifying situation even if it makes it just the slightest bit better.

We are all scared. We are all wondering what's going to happen next. We are all in this together. Be kind. Be Level Headed. Take it one day at a time.