Times are tough
It seems with the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus that the world has gone a little bit, well, panicky.
Suddenly washing hands with soapy water is in vogue (is personal hygiene a new thing for some people?) and it is even becoming socially acceptable to stay home from work if you are not feeling well (instead of the bizarre practise of passing your ‘happiness’ on to your school mates, co-workers or fellow travellers in the flying petri dishes that we call airplanes. Trust me, this kind of sharing has not ever been particularly caring).
“Don’t Panic.”
Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The (not so great) challenge of staying at home…
There are a lot of very intelligent people offer advise on how to hunker down and weather the storm (not the politicians or the talking heads on TV…ignore them). We should listen to the experts on this kind of stuff.
I’m not a health official, so anything I say should fall in the same category as the above mentioned politicians, but,
I have a plan:
During this uncertain time, I intend to limit the amount of time I spend in public places like malls and shopping centres (basically, any place that there is a reasonable chance a total stranger will sneeze on me, or cough out a lung while I sit next to their booth in a restaurant). I will wash my hands regularly and keep them away from my face. I’m also going to stay home if I feel unwell.
When I think about it, this is the same kind of stuff I do every flu season.
Of course, in this day and age, being confined at home is not really such a great hardship. Many of us do so with an antisocial regularity, anyway.
- I can socialize on facebook, instagram, or Twitter;
- bust some dance moves on Tik Tok (I’ve never done it, but I understand that it’s a ‘thing’);
- shop from home on the ubiquitous Amazon;
- binge watch any possible television series or movie ever produced, and;
- read the sum total of all of human writings on my iPad.
Naturally, being an author, I will have no excuse for not exceeding my daily word count (except for the above noted distractions).
Heck, I don’t even have to leave my home for years…
Okay, maybe that was a little much. My point is, remaining at home when unwell is not nearly the hardship it once might have been, even a decade ago, and in my particular case, can add to my productivity.
Whatever your particular situation, not panicking is probably a good first step.
If you are ill, please seek out medical advice and take care of yourself. Be considerate of others by not playing the heroic employee of the year. Stay home… trust me, they will survive a few days without you and appreciate that you didn’t give anything to the rest of the staff. Maintain good hygiene and if you have to sneeze or cough, do so into a tissue or your elbow. Others will thank you.
Here’s something you can do even if you are not ill and confined to your home…
If you are reading this, chances are that you are not only a science fiction fan, but you also might enjoy my books. I’ve just released my latest Space Opera, called Armstrong Station. You can check it out at Amazon, Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books or Barnes & Noble.
About the author
D.M. (Doug) Pruden
Science Fiction Author
I am the author of several science fiction series and short stories. I like to make sure that my characters are real, their adventures are riveting and, being an erstwhile professional scientist, I like to make sure the science is right. You can check out my home page here, where you can download a free novella and get to know me a little better.
