Fears

What I don’t fear is:

Running out of toilet paper because I’ve experienced it many times 

in different countries and also in places where they won’t run out 

because it doesn’t exist.

No running water because I’ve experienced it many times in different countries. Sometimes there was no hot or cold water and other times only cold or hot. Hot only may seem nice but it comes scalding hot from central boiler systems so you have to wait until it cools down - Do not shower! If there’s no running water you improvise by bathing with bottled drinking water – 2 liters will do the trick with enough left over for a sip – try it at home. Places with no potable water so you must boil (and cool) before consumption.

Running out of power because I’ve lived where there were regularly scheduled outages three days a week or random outages for up to a week.

Limited food selection – go to the market to see what the flavor of the week is – maybe cabbage, chicken and eggs – the eggs had to come from somewhere as they don’t just drop out of the sky… splat! Other times you don’t believe your eyes as there is so much selection and abundance that it’s like Christmas which happens at least three times a year!

I’d like to say I fear no one but my ego appears to be heavily invested in this statement.

As I sit alone in self-isolation I don’t fear catching the COVID-19 virus. I think it is nature’s way of culling the human population.

What I do fear is:

Catching and then spreading the COVID-19 virus to others and their loved ones.

Sometime during this pandemic I wander amidst rubble and 2 meters of broken glass covering the streets of Vancouver. Have I forgotten about the virus? I hope not. Will I help those who are trapped and injured? I hope so…

This is not a “gloom and doom” message. I pray every day that there will be no secondary disaster to this catastrophe and that we are quickly loosened from the COVID-19 grip of isolation.

I am thankful to not be in a situation that could be much worse.

David Girard 28/03/20