Life With CoVid-19 Take - 2

So, end of November 2019 it seems, a new unidentifiable flu strain comes out of the province of Wuhan, China. It very rapidly spreads and China, as near as any one can tell (it is China after all, how forthcoming are they really?) shuts down all travel into and out of Wuhan. Soon thereafter many other provinces in China are forced to follow suit. Many nations around the world begin a shut-down of all air travel from China. By January South Korea and Iran are hard hit with what is now identified as Corona Virus 2019. South Korea and Iran quickly follow a lockdown/quarantine procedure. There are many, many more in China who acquire the virus and deaths are becoming extremely numerous.

End of January, early February, Italy becomes the epicenter for the virus in Europe and the dead are so many that burials are banned. All residents must stay indoors. As of mid-April, Italy has 51 medical doctors dead. An aged population, lack of physicians, ventilators, and hospital beds are all too common in many countries as the virus is declared a global pandemic.

Here in Germany all non-essential businesses, schools, universities, and worship are closed (essential being gas stations, grocery, apothecary, and home repair like Toom). Restaurants may only offer delivery or pick up, until 1800 hrs. Emily, a HS senior at the DoDEA school Ramstein, has just found out all her choral concerts and drama productions have been cancelled, as have all sporting events.

March 12, 5 of us depart Luxembourg to Scotland. Thank goodness we flew from Lux because Great Britain has banned all flights from Germany. We hear, 2 hours into our journey, that DoD is restricting all travel from Germany for all DoD, active duty, civilian, and dependents. We stay in Scotland for our mad cap adventures, meeting 7 others flying in from all over the US.

We are all a bit anxious as we keep up with reports of continued deteriorating travel. By March 16, as we are flying back to Lux, we know that the German border is closed to all but citizens, those with worker visas, and DoD with SOFA stamps. We are paused at the border but continue home. We all “self-quarantine” for the recommended 14 day period. All 12 of us arrive safely back to our places of residence. After our quarantine period we are all 12 of us healthy.

Meanwhile, DoD schools are closed beginning that Monday, March 16 through the end of the school year. Thursday the parents become teachers as on-line distance learning is the “new normal”. Parents are highly frustrated, teachers are ill-equipped to “teach” via internet, zoom, or google classroom. All are struggling as teachers miss their students, kids miss their teachers and peers, and parents try to navigate fifth grade math. 10 days later I hear Virginia has followed suit as school moves to online learning. myRiley Roo is heart crushed. Her senior prom was to be that Friday. Her choir, drama, even walking for a graduation ceremony are all finished. 

CoVid-19 (officially now called SARS 2 Corona Virus-2019) has forced the entire world into a “new normal”. Terms like Social Distancing, Covidiots, Quarantine, and Self-Isolate are common language use now. The DoD has mandated that all persons entering the base must wear masks, not for our protection but for community protection, in case we are infected and don’t know we are. We cannot meet in groups of more than 2 and we must maintain 6 ft. separation. If that is unavoidable then we must wear a mask. Tedley works as a team of two, even days (the silver team) that they alternate on so no more than one is in the office on any given day. He teleworks the other days. We zoom our bible study on Tuesday mornings and livestream church. I haven’t been on base except for one time since returning from Scotland. I am not enjoying the “new normal”.

 

I am keeping busy with the Bible study, bible journaling the Lenten Scripture passages, a 25 Daily Drawing Challenge, and #DrawWithRob. I play XBox, and games on my phone. I am very bored. We did FaceTime the kids and play Clue on Saturday evening (afternoon).

 

There is some good from this. Pollution is way down in the countries where smog was the highest. The hole in the ozone is gradually getting smaller. Climates seem to be readjusting to prior green house effect years. People are cooking at home more, coming up with creative activities to do with their children, eating at the dinner table. Small gifts are being left at door stoops. In Italy, folks are singing together from their balconies. 

There is some bad as well. Hoarding of cleansers and disinfectant materials as well as toilet paper (of all things). Crime is rising as police departments are hit with the virus and deaths from the virus. Medical professionals are exhausted and stretched way too thin. Economies world wide are impacted as many have to draw unemployment. And cases continue to spread, deaths continue to increase, and there seems to be end in sight.

 

 

 

I am pretty sure the world will never be the same again.

The “new normal” will become the “norm”. 

Life will go on, but in a much different way.

Servant Leadership

Are You A Servant Leader?

Place a check in the box of each of the following questions that you would answer with a “yes.” 
If you can check more than seven of these, you may be well on your way to becoming a servant leader.

• �  Do people believe that you are willing to sacrifice your own self-interest for the good of the group?
  
• �  Do people believe that you want to hear their ideas and will value them?
• � Do people believe that you will understand what is happening in their lives and how it affects them? 
• � Do people come to you when the chips are down or when something traumatic has happened in their lives?
• � Do others believe that you have a strong awareness for what is going on?
• � Do others follow your requests because they want to as opposed to because they “have to?”
• � Do others communicate their ideas and vision for the organization when you are around?
• � Do others have confidence in your ability to anticipate the future and its consequences?
• � Do others believe you are preparing the organization to make a positive difference in the world?
• � Do people believe that you are committed to helping them develop and grow?
• � Do people feel a strong sense of community in the organization that you lead? 

Servant leaders have a natural desire to serve others. This notion of having a calling to serve is deeply rooted and value-based. Servant leaders have a desire to make a difference for other people and will pursue opportunities to impact others’ lives — never for their own gain. A servant leader is willing to sacrifice self-interests for the sake of others. 

Servant leaders are excellent listeners. They are receptive and genuinely interested in the views and input of others.

 Servant leaders can “walk in others’ shoes.” They understand and empathize with others’ circumstances and problems.

Servant leaders are people who others want to approach when something traumatic has happened. They have developed a remarkable appreciation for the emotional health and spirit of others. They are good at facilitating the healing process and others gravitate toward them when emotional needs arise.

Servant leaders have a keen sense for what is happening around them. They are always looking for cues from the environment to inform their opinions and decisions.

Servant leaders seek to convince others to do things rather than relying on formal authority. They are naturally very persuasive and offer compelling reasons when they make requests.

Servant leaders nurture the ability to conceptualize the world, events and possibilities.

Servant leaders have an uncanny ability to anticipate future events. This is not to say they are psychic or always right, but they are adept at picking up patterns in the environment and seeing what the future will bring.

Servant leaders often are characterized by a strong sense of stewardship. A steward in an organization is responsible for preparing it for its destiny, usually for the betterment of society.

Servant leaders have a strong commitment to the growth of people. They believe that all people have something to offer beyond their tangible contributions.

Servant leaders have a strong sense of community spirit and work hard to foster it in an organization. They believe that an organization needs to function as a community.

Slice Of Life: A Daily Story

Day Six

Wednesday, June 27th

Incapable

“I’m on disability” she said to me. “Why? Oh, because of your back?” She shakes her head slowly. I lift an eyebrow in curiosity. She takes her right hand, points to her head, and slowly makes a circle with her index finger. I get it, mental health issues. “I’m not seeing my therapist any longer” I say with a bit of pride. She smiles, “Really?” I smile back at her, “Yah, guess I’m ‘fixed’”, I reply with a slight chuckle. “I saw my therapist just before we left but I won’t see him again until the ninth. I get back in town and he goes to Arkansas.” Arkansas, I think, what’s in Arkansas? I don’t ask. “I’ve had two nervous breakdowns” she continues. I say nothing. After a bit of silence she says, “My back is still giving me problems, I have another slipped disc. And my foot is still bothering me.” I lift my eyebrow again and she continues. “It still slips out after I broke it. And right after I had the cast off, I was at Mike and Missy’s house and fell and broke it again. It was in a cast again for weeks.” “So, it’s very weak”, I say. She nods. “Yah so my doctor said that I’m not allowed to work.” Not ‘allowed’, I ponder but just when I’m about to ask her why she’s ‘not allowed’ her grandson comes up to her. I bite my lip. We never have the opportunity to continue the conversation as Missy shouts “Time to go my children, come dry off. We have to leave in the morning.” Linda turns from me and heads to the pool steps.

I have a couple of friends and family members that are on disability. I think of them as being weak, but I’m sure that I judge them far too harshly. Some people just don’t have the coping skills. Still. There have been many times that I have longed to be that selfish and fall into my label within the mental health community and be declared disabled. I haven’t…ever. I’m not that weak. I have my husband and children who keep me grounded if not sane. And while I do at times long for the escape of a hospital ward or a nervous breakdown, I just can’t allow myself that dependence. I have never been that dependent on anything or anyone, not even my husband – much to his dismay. I watch Linda as she dries the pool water from her leg. Linda … whacky, fluffy, tubby Linda; she has always been the kooky one in her family. We are similar, she and I. She bears the brunt of the jokes in her family and I in mine. While not as gullible as I, she can nevertheless be made to believe a lie quite easily, if you can keep a straight face when telling the tall tale. Linda used to work, at one time. She worked in the community hospital, laboratory I believe, though I’m not really sure. I never truly knew what she and her husband’s jobs entailed, I only knew that they worked at the same hospital.

“Jim’s retiring soon” Linda had whispered to me while we sat at the kitchen table. I had arrived late in the evening to see them, knowing that they would only be in town for three more days. She and Missy were making beaded bracelets. I hadn’t connected the dots at that time. “Really”, I had said. “That’s cool, what’s he going to do?” “He’s still going to be at the hospital, part time. They really wanted him to come back.” “Yah,” I begin to smile but notice the apprehension in her eyes. I didn’t understand then. Now I do. Disability isn’t a lot of money and with Jim retiring and working part time – well, finances could be tough. While I’ve always refused medication in outpatient care, I do know how expensive they are. I have no idea how many different medicines Linda is taking, but I understand the worry. And to top it off, she may require another back surgery. Could she be feeling incapable? I had the distinct feeling that she was worried about not seeing her therapist until the ninth. Is she so deteriorated?

Our mental health was another shared bond that we had. I drove with her to an appointment once, many years ago now. She talked gaily about her diagnosis. I spoke apprehensively about mine, which I never really agreed with from the moment I was labeled. I hate labels. I hate being defined by a label. I am who I am. Linda had seemed almost proud of her many and varied diagnosis labels. I have an acquaintance friend who is the same, Michele. Michele wears her mental illness on her sleeve, literally, and on her chest and back; a t-shirt that lists every mental illness to be found in the DSM-IV. She will proudly point to her shoulder and proclaim ‘this is one of mine’, or her left breast and tell anyone who will listen ‘this is my favorite diagnosis ever’. She is wackier than Linda. Michele is also far more disabled. I heard that she and Mark, her husband of over thirty years, have divorced. Jim and Linda have remained together for over forty years. I don’t see them divorcing any time soon, but I don’t see them often enough to know the dynamics. Not any longer. We used to see them twice a year, sometimes three times a year. Now it is down to once a year. She seems unchanged, really, in all the years that I have known her, for nearly thirty years now. Does mental illness do that to people? Linda, Michele, Renee … oh, you don’t know Renee?

Renee is an extreme case, lost in her depression, her PTSD, her anxiety, her suicidal ideation, her other selves. When I first stumbled upon Renee, twenty years ago now, I believed her to be so strong. She spoke eloquently, she wrote masterfully. She lived alone, took no bull from anybody, and adored her therapist and her cat. Then she met Eric and, after a quick engagement, was married and pregnant. Jordan was born with many a disability herself, autism and retardation. Renee was crushed. She seemed to go into rapid decay and as the years past and Jordan aged, Renee became more and more incapable. There is a revolving door on the state mental hospital, on several hospitals actually. Anytime Renee feels ‘unsafe’ she checks herself in. At one point her depression became so severe that she willingly, almost wantonly, endured seventy plus electroshock therapies. Crazy? I’d say certainly. I guess Renee actually has changed over the years, from competent to incompetence, capable to incapable.

I am no longer connected to these, my comrades of mental health. While I am not sane, I’m not ‘insane’. I have learned coping skills and have found an internal strength that Linda, Michele, and Renee do not seem to have. While Linda is the most capable of the three, there is just something about the term ‘disability’ that implies a lack of. Linda is incapable after all. And while I espouse my own capabilities, my own competence, my own sanity, am I? Really? Are any of us truly competent, capable, sane?