Star-fish

     I wonder if any of you have heard the term lately, "due to COVID"? "Due to COVID," you must wear a mask, stay six feet apart, cough in your elbow, travel one way in grocery stores, cancel family gatherings of more than ten, and wash your hands all day long while singing the Alphabet song.      Today, I took my dad to the hospital for a hip replacement. My dad is neither a young man nor thin, both of which are real concerns regarding contracting Coronavirus. He also has a pacemaker and a fairly new heart valve which also contribute to his being in the "compromised" category.      At the hospital, I heard several times, "due to COVID" everyone must use hand sanitizer before entering the hospital, there is a limit of one visitor per patient, no one can visit the patient after surgery, and you must distance yourselves from others. After I dropped my dad and mom off at the Emergency Entrance (the only door open), parked a block away, and re...

     Who knew in my lifetime there would be a global pandemic. I remember studying the idea of an illness that was worldwide in my college health classes. It seemed farfetched and seemingly impossible. But now, nearly forty years later, here we are in the midst COVID-19 which is killing thousands of people in horrific ways.      Governments have been shutting down cities, airports, restaurants, and just about any other location where people are known to gather, to halt the spread of the virus. Everyone is encouraged to wear masks, wash their hands, and even their groceries. Hand sanitizer and toilet paper were quick to disappear off the shelves of stores. Schools were closed before the school year was even over and high school as well as most college graduations were canceled.      Life went on hold due to Coronavirus confinement. It's a story no one could predict and worse yet no one can determine when this nightmare will end. What's next?...