Coping with Corona
OK folks. Here it is. The definitive guide to maintaining your sanity while we all wait out this horrible virus known as corona (COVID-19).
For the past couple months, the world has been grappling with one of the deadliest pandemics in recorded history. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that it originated in Wuhan, China and spread like wildfire, with cases (and deaths, sadly) in over 150 countries around the world.
No race, creed, or color has been immune.
Collectively, we have never experienced anything quite like this. The emotions have been many - fear initially, then panic, and now, a lingering anxiety and sense of unease, despite our best efforts to stay positive and say otherwise.
Momentary distractions have come in handy - Verzus, the Instagram Live Music Battle curated by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, Diddy’s epic dance-a-thon on Easter Sunday featuring Drake’s Toosie Slide and some unauthorized twerking by Lizzo, and Tiger King on Netflix spring to mind (if you haven’t seen it you’re missing out on TV gold) - but we’ll need plenty more of those to get us through the next couple months.
Joe Exotic, America’s favorite crazy gay zoo operator.
The Bright Side
While there are many negatives to this pandemic, the one bright spot is that we’ve all been afforded with a lot more time for self reflection and personal development.
With all this downtime, I want to encourage everyone to make the most of it by picking up a new skill (say, cooking), reading a book or two or doing an online course. A few more things you can do with the oodles of spare time you probably now have?
Put together a business plan
Learn a new language
Do a Masterclass (or two)
Do some spring cleaning!
Write a book, a memoir perhaps, or rediscover your love for music. Do anything, just don’t do nothing. The canvas is yours and the world is waiting to see what you come up with, so paint something beautiful. I’ve already come up with 3 or 4 big new ideas since this all started (including writing some new music that I hope will be released soon). I’m sure you can come up with some too!
Book Recommendations:
The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion
The Way Back
Truthfully, the way back from this will likely be painful and prolonged, with the brunt of the effect felt by lower income folks who were among the first to be let go by the companies they served so loyally over the years. Whether you know someone personally affected by the virus or not, we will all have to deal with the fallout and come to terms with the new norms of social distancing and self isolation.
BUT, if there’s anything I know about the tenacity of the human spirit, it’s that we can rest assured that we will come out of this stronger, better and wiser than before. We are already seeing that spirit in action through the heroic work being done by health care workers, doctors, hospital staff, sanitation workers, grocery store clerks and pharmacists around the world.
A couple days ago, Alicia Keys released a touching tribute to these heroes that captures how I’m sure we all feel about the work they are doing.
I can’t wait till the day we’re allowed to be outside and be with each other again.
In the meantime, stay grounded, stay safe and stay at home. And if no one told you this today, you’re beautiful, loved and needed.
xx
RK
