1 1 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A Y 2 0 2 0
I
t's been nearly two months since the coronavirus
began to invade every facet of our day-to-day
lives. Heck, it virtually shut down our very
livelihood when elective surgeries went on hiatus.
Tens of thousands of lives have been lost to this
pandemic. The national unemployment rate is the
highest it's been since the Great Depression.
Eating out has been revamped. No parties.
Celebrating any occasion with 10 or more people has
been nixed. No sporting events. No shopping. Nothing
good has come from the nationwide shutdown. Or has it?
Let's take a deep breath from behind our N95s (if you have
one!) and open our minds to pandemic positivity. People are ordering
what they need online. There are no parking problems or traffic. Fuel
is being saved and the cost is down (gas here in Arkansas is $1.44 a
gallon). The smog has finally lifted in Los Angeles. That lack of smell
you're experiencing is not a COVID-19 symptom. It's clean air.
We get to work from home in pajamas — sweats when we get
gussied up for Zoom meetings. We're also finally going to see our
nurse friends' true hair color. More people are home with their chil-
dren. Parents in health care sometimes don't see their children awake
for days at a time due to work and call schedules from hell.
People are cooking at home, and families are sitting down together
at dinner tables or even in front of the TV. (Screen time rules be
damned.) When was the last time you gathered in the family room to
watch a family movie or prime time G-rated show? Some families are
doing old fashioned things like putting puzzles together and baking
Positivity During a Pandemic
You don't have to look hard to find reasons for gratitude.
Behind Closed Doors
Paula Watkins, RN