World News
Oh no it’s Friday the 13th! Lucky or unlucky?! Crazy times… Coronavirus or Covid-19 is at large. People panicking and buying rolls and rolls of toilet paper. Sanitizer is nowhere to be found. Lysol wipes..out of stock! I got a recipe from a friend of mine…not for cookies but the steps to make sanitizer. I shared it on my Thursday blog post.. Italy locked down their entire country…I am not sure why it is spreading so quickly over there. I wonder if it’s from their kissing greeting. You know both sides of the cheek. I have a Sicilian background so I get the 2 sided cheek kiss respect thing. Hugs for me are much more preferable..I am not fond of kissing upon greeting. My sister-in-laws know this and insist as they like to see me squirm. I would welcome a new trend that I have been seeing on various social media, like elbow bumps or feet taps instead of handshakes and kissing.
Then don’t forget about the rail blockade by Indigenous anti-pipeline activists. Basically the blockade was a protest against a contentious natural gas pipeline which blocked train traffic. I am not generally into politics but both of these events are causing a “political” crisis for our Prime Minister Justin Turdeau. (Ok, I saw his name spelled like this on a Twitter feed, there was also Trudope and both made me howl…I am definitely not a fan). Both these things can affect the economy and the stock market is already taking a hit. It may be an opportunity for some of us to buy stocks at a low price and wait to see the market recover.
Why Toilet Paper Hoarding?
The toilet paper hoarding was apparently sparked by social media rumors that said stores were running short on both tissue and toilet paper because they were made in China and would no longer be exported to Japan. So I get why Japan was hoarding…
“Tissue and toilet paper are almost entirely manufactured in Japan. There is no need to stockpile. Everybody should just calm down, please. The rumor isn’t true,” this is a tweet quote from the Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Ohnishi in Japan.
Meanwhile around the world they were also stocking up. Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist and author of “The Psychology of Pandemics” which looks at how people behave and respond to pandemics said the reaction is understandable but excessive and we can “prepare without panicking.” I would say…too late for that comment! Basically in a CNN article it says people resort to extremes when they hear conflicting messages and will naturally overprepare as a result plus it provides a sense of control over a situation that isn’t very controllable.
People are panicking as they must fear death or at least fear getting really sick then dying. Or maybe people are afraid they won’t have enough toilet paper when they die! Ok, I am kidding but last I read, coronavirus doesn’t really cause diarrhea.
I am of the mind, if it happens it happens! Do what you can to be prepared, stay clean, wash hands often, don’t kiss anyone unless you think the risk is worth it and eat well to build up your immunity. Reduce your stress as that can contribute to lowering your immunity.
Well, now that I have briefly wrote about current events, I thought it would be fitting to talk about a Death Cafe
What is a Death Cafe??
At a Death Cafe people drink tea, eat cake and discuss death. The Death Cafe movement started in the UK. The tea gave it away for me. So, people of all ages and demographics get together and talk about death. Important to note, this is not grief support or counselling.
I found out about this through my hospice and was fascinated that this existed. A new experience! I was dying to attend (lol) so I quickly registered. I will be attending one in early May being held in our local library. It sounds crazy but I am looking forward to it. I expect if anything I will make new connections, learn something plus have cake!! I will let you know how it goes.
That said, check out this site Death Cafe for further details. You can see if they have one near you and see for yourself.
