I’ll admit, I’m one of the people who thought the coronavirus was getting blown out of proportion when I first began hearing of it. People die of the ‘regular’ flu every year. Hong Kong flu, swine flu, and bird flu didn’t spread like predicted. I figured COVID-19 would be the same. Obviously, I was wrong.
When people first started hoarding toilet paper I thought it was ridiculous and laughed about it. I felt bad, though, after reading a message my cousin posted on Facebook that scolded everyone for making fun of the TP hoarders, saying, “They’re scared. They don’t know what to do and this helps them feel in control.”
However, I went from laughing, to feeling ashamed, to now feeling mad, because I haven’t been able to find toilet paper since the chaos started.
I don’t know how long it will be before things will get back to normal, but I do know that in times of crisis, when people are frightened and don’t know what the future holds, laughter can be a great healer. COVID-19 may be contagious, but you know what else is contagious? Humor.
Humor, as frivolous and unessential as it may seem, is a coping mechanism. Humor helps distract us from the horrible things that are happening around us, the scary things that are beyond our control. We might be seriously worried, but we carry on laughing.
Don’t tell my cousin you heard it from me, but one of the funniest things I’ve been told lately goes something like this:
‘June 4, 2056 was an important day for John. June 4, 2056 was the day he was finally able to use the last roll of toilet paper his mom had bought in 2020.’
People laugh to take control and to connect with each other. I laughed out loud when I heard that joke, and I’ve shared it because no matter which side of the TP purchasing you’re on, it’s funny. And we all need a good dose of laughter right now.
Another bit of pandemic humor that has been going around is this phrase, “Nature is healing. We are the virus.” It started as a joke and spread like wildfire, with people from all over the country posting funny photos of ‘nature’ coming back, like yellow rubber duckies swimming in a river, dinosaurs running wild, and African safari animals wandering nearly empty city streets.
As funny as the photos are, the phrase itself is somewhat true, though. We definitely are a virus affecting the earth. I’ve been reading the last few days that no tourism, few planes, and fewer cars on the road have led to a downturn in pollution. I don’t think the earth can actually recover that fast, but either way, it’s doing so at a high cost to humanity.
So, we’re all stuck at home. My husband and my jobs have been deemed essential and I work mainly from home anyway, so the quarantine hasn’t made that much of an impact of me yet. However, I have discovered two of my favorite things to do appear to be shopping at nonessential businesses and touching my face.
I know I would be much more worried about the coronavirus if I lived in New York, California, or Louisiana. Even if I lived in any big city, or one of my loved ones had come down with the virus. I’m glad to be here in rural Minnesota, and I pray COVID-19 doesn’t start spreading quickly around here.
I still think hoarding toilet paper is strange though. In a time of crisis, the last thing I’d be worried about is toilet paper. We can live without TP, and it wasn’t that long ago that we did. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1930s that toilet paper was economical and became a common sight in American households.
No matter how afraid or worried for the future you are, try to have a good laugh at least once a day. I guarantee you’ll feel better for at least a little while.
One more thing I read at the beginning of this week was, ‘They’re predicting this will be a rough week for America. It was a rough week for Jesus, too. But just look at the outcome.’
Stay healthy and safe Citizen-Tribune readers. We’ll get through this together.
