By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Executive Director
LARSO
A few days from now, we will have been mired in this pandemic, for seven months. Sometimes, I think time is passing in slow motion and other times, it is flying at warp speed. How much longer could it last, no one knows.
As I reflect on the arrival of winter, what crosses my mind most often is the “twindemic”. What happens if we are dealing with COVID and the flu at the same time?
Have you thought of what could lie ahead? If not, put some thought into it.
Similar to wildfire season you need to prepare. Think about buying an extra item or two, with your groceries each week. What things would you miss the most if the shelves were bare? Is it macaroni and cheese, a certain candy or brand of chips? Purchase a few comfort foods and put them in one box in the back of a closet. Then make yourself a note and leave it somewhere you will actually find.
Do you have kids or grand kids and do they have a favorite food, stuffed animal or hobby? You should buy them, wrap them and find a special place for those, too. All of us can find a way to acquire a few items that could make our life or that of someone we love better, if the pandemic continues or grows. I don’t say these things in a paranoid way, but in a strategic planning way.
If it is groceries, buy a few extra cans of soup or boxes of cereal to put aside. Buy an extra bar of soap, package of toilet paper, bottle of dishwasher liquid or laundry soap. What do you recall vanishing on the day the world changed in March? I’m begging you not to hoard it, but to think ahead. Make sure you get a flu shot, a physical in case you need a medication extension and keep the numbers for the New Mexico Crisis Center’s warm and crisis line on hand.
Finally, go today and buy one package of the cheapest toilet paper you can find on the shelf. Place it in your bathrooms right away with no explanation. Quietly, pay attention to the reaction that follows. When the time is right for discussion, explain what sacrifice could mean for you or others. What are they willing to do, as a member of the family, a member of the community or of the world to be more considerate of others? It is that and a sense of humor, you’ll understand with the toilet paper that brings important things into focus.
You see I arrived at my current job from the Youth Activity Centers. There, I felt like the mother of many children as I had traveled that path before. Now, the ages of my charges have changed, but I worry equally, like a mother in a role reversal. So, be careful out there everyone. Since, we can’t control what’s out there, we can only be smart for ourselves.