I was considering what kind of a title to give this particular blog when the above phrase popped into my head. I promptly set off on a quest to find the origins of the phrase. My search was inconclusive. Apparently, the phrase could have come from either Europe or America. Really? Are they not two completely different places? The Internet fails!
The coronavirus has been with us for a while now. When I first started writing about it, barely three or four months ago, there was a certain sense of novelty about the situation. It impacted the way I wrote about the subject. Even though I knew this situation was going to last a long time, I might have even written about it in a manner that suggested that this was just a temporary issue that would go away. While that is a true statement in an absolute sense, my thought processes at that time perhaps also reflected a subconscious sense of optimism, and a refusal to completely internalize the long road ahead of us in battling the disease. I probably felt this way in spite of the stupidity that one saw going on around us regarding the handing of the disease. One railed against the stupidity, but, really, how bad could it get?! (I had predicted the kind of situation that the US would find itself in with regard to the coronavirus a few weeks ago – there are quarantines between states in the USA already, and the European Union is banning visitors from the US. The surprise is that this situation has developed more quickly than I expected.) Perhaps I had not yet become tired of the routine, and the predictability of the stupidity of the situation, at that time. It now seems to be a time for further mental adjustment. Maybe, the optimist in me would like to think that “This too shall pass”, but I am having a harder time internalizing this thought. Yes, it will pass, but who knows when.
It was in a different context that I had written in the past about how people are becoming less intelligent in the places that have most benefited from technology. Evidence of this is becoming very clear in the current environment in our country. Even the issue of wearing masks to prevent the spread of disease has become a political, and even religious, issue to some! It seems insane! It does not help that some of this kind of thinking is fanned by the person who is supposed to be in charge. Governors of some states are acting stupidly in response to the conman, and this is leading to devastating results. Mask wearing be damned!
So, we soldier on, hoping that somehow the devastation we are wreaking on ourselves will not get too close to us personally, and affect us personally. Other than taking personal responsibility, there is little that one can do.
The visits to the canal are getting a little more nerve-wracking these days. Places are getting more crowded, and some people (a small number) are showing a carelessness about the coronavirus situation. It is either that, or the current situation regarding the handling of the disease, that is finally getting to us. But, all that having been said, being outdoors is good for us. What we have learnt about the nature of the virus so far seems to indicate that even though it can spread from person to person easily, it does not last too long outside of a host. Also, the simple action of wearing a mask seems to reduce risk significantly. I have not yet gotten to the point of wearing a mask while exercising, but I do try to create space and/or turn in the other direction during an outdoor encounter. This is more critical on the narrow trails of Seneca Creek Park where I run once in a while. We take care and hope for the best.
We walked from Pennyfield Lock to Rileys Lock, and back, last weekend. Here are some of the pictures I took of flowers that we saw along the trail.
Splattered Brains 
Take care down there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLike