My arm is sore and I’m a little tired, but otherwise unaffected by my updated COVID-19 booster shot gratefully received in early October. I’m not ready to rip my mask off just yet, but feel more assured that if the coronavirus does strike me that I will have more than a fighting chance to stay … Continue reading
Category Archives: Pandemic
Cancer / COVID-19 / Pandemic / Peace of mind / Poems / Public Health / Unity
Booster shot for all of us
Got my Pfizer booster shot There were no marching bands No one shaking my hand Or patting me on the back. Nor should there be I did it for me and my immunity I did it for us, for the community We’re all in this life-and-death fight And each of us must make it right … Continue reading
Coronavirus / COVID-19 / Mourning / Pandemic
Coronavirus: One way to mourn
The contentious presidential election. The rushed Supreme Court nomination hearings. A severely damaged economy with millions out of work and facing eviction. These are all good reasons why we don’t pause for just a moment to memorialize those who have been taken from us too soon in our fight against the pandemic. Life is exhausting … Continue reading
Coronavirus and the crazy sheriff
Nutty as it sounds, the sheriff in Ocala, Florida, has banned facemasks for his deputies in some on-duty circumstances. This comes at a time when his county had by the end of August 2020 recorded more than 8,400 confirmed cases and 170-plus deaths due to the coronavirus. Moreover, approximately 40 of the sheriff’s employees, including … Continue reading
Aging / Coronavirus / COVID-19 / Humor / Mask-wearing / Pandemic / Public Health
Coronavirus: I’m paranoid, but not paralyzed!
I’ve been on lockdown for over five months, so I’m entitled to a little paranoia. In fact, paranoia has become the norm. Stay home, public health officials say. Your age and underlying health conditions put you at high risk of contracting the deadly virus. If you do go out, they say, avoid closed-in spaces with … Continue reading
Aging / Coronavirus / COVID-19 / Elderly / Kindness & Compassion / Mask-wearing / Pandemic / Public Health
Coronavirus: Do old lives really matter?
Old lives matter if we cherish and protect them. But do we really cherish and protect them when there is a shortage of personal protective equipment and tests at nursing homes? Many have already died, but must even more die? Do old lives truly matter if our community doesn’t have a mask mandate or enforce … Continue reading
Aging / Coronavirus / COVID-19 / Friendship / Kindness / Pandemic
Phone chats take us out of isolation — if only for 24 minutes
I had just spent 24 minutes on the phone with my friend, a fellow baby boomer, when I saw the New York Times article on April 9. Americans are phoning in record numbers during this terrible pandemic. My friend had suffered numerous bouts with pneumonia and was cut off from her children and grandchildren to … Continue reading
Building Harmony / Coronavirus / COVID-19 / Generosity / Kindness / Pandemic / Unity
Coronavirus: Corporate heroes deserve patronage
What do the nation’s airlines and Burger King have in common? They are among the selfless companies helping America in time of need – during the throes of the coronavirus. The airlines, including JetBlue, United and Delta, transported volunteer doctors and nurses free of charge to the worst COVID–19 hot spots in America – New … Continue reading
Coronavirus: When will we mourn?
Just when will my bubble burst? My heart aches for all of the families suffering losses due to the coronavirus. How painful it must feel to be barred from seeing their loved ones in the hospital? How excruciating it must be to be limited to brief FaceTime visits — especially at the doorstep of death? … Continue reading
Coronavirus times: The brass chandelier
I saw two young men rummaging through a dumpster in my apartment complex. Everything in there is fair game. It’s not unusual to see a pickup truck pull up and the occupants carry away some treasure. A yard sale bargain. Gotta make a few bucks, you know. But these are the coronavirus times and there … Continue reading
Ron Cooper 