I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you. I’m going to die. And so are you. And your best friend, and your spouse, and sadly, even your kids. It’s going to happen sooner or later. We can’t avoid it. But we can make the most of whatever time we have left here on earth.
In the last two days I’ve received half a dozen or more e-mails and blog comments from people worried about the Zika virus and a couple of young thugs who the media have dubbed a modern day Bonnie and Clyde who are supposedly heading for Florida after a crime spree in Alabama and Georgia.
No, I don’t pay attention to nonsense like that. Wasn’t Ebola going to kill us all last year? So far I’m still looking at the grass from the top side, not the bottom.
As for the criminal couple, I’ve dealt with some serious bad guys in my time, so a pair of young punks like that don’t concern me. And trust me, I’ve got more of anything they might have with them if they come knocking on my door, and I have enough training and real world experience to know how to use it. And mine’s bigger, too!
One couple wrote to say that due to Zika they are leaving Florida to go somewhere safe? What’s safe? They have much more chance of dying in a traffic accident on their way to whatever safe haven they choose than of being infected by Zika.
I spent over 30 years in the newspaper business running small town newspapers in the Pacific Northwest and in Arizona. In that time I saw hundreds of doomsday news releases come across my desk, and 99.9% of them are over-reported and over dramatized.
Back in the early 1980s they were predicting that most of western Oregon and Washington was going to fall into the Pacific Ocean as soon as the “big one” hit. I owned a string of small town newspapers along the coast back then and had friends trying to selling their homes for whatever they could get out of them and quitting jobs and moving inland to where it was safe.
Guess what? The “big one” never hit and eventually life returned to normal. We never heard about it again until last summer when we were on the Oregon coast. Now suddenly it’s a huge issue again.
Yes, it MAY happen. Yes, Zika may kill me. Or maybe a drunk driver or some kid texting instead of paying attention to the road. Or I may die in my sleep on my 100th birthday. Or tonight. I’m too busy enjoying life to give any of it a lot of thought.
According to the prognosticators, all any of us can do is sit on the floor, pull our knees up over our heads and kiss our butts goodbye! In the meantime, just relax and enjoy life. You’ll live longer.
Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Chesapeake 1880 by my friend Ken Rossignol, a tale of life in the Chesapeake Bay region as the industrial revolution changed the world forever. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
Thought For The Day – Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Funny … they worry about dying from Zika …. I worry about getting in and out of that fuel station! C’est la vie!!!
So true Nick. The news is all doomsday.We rarely listen to it. After traveling all over the USA and Canada we are here to tell you nice people and good things happening are REALLY out there. It’s RARE for negative things to happen and those are usually a flat tire or an engine problem or the toilet is loose. Enjoy each day because something fun, great, nice or wonderful is happening and you will miss it if you think of only the gloom and doom.
It was 43 this morning and it’s windy and going to be a high of 61 today.
Yep, Nick is in Florida.
WRITE ‘EM BACK AND TELL THEM TO TURN AROUND. THE MAN IS DEAD AND THE WOMAN IS IN CUSTODY.
that’s pretty good the Zika virus in Florida was not contracted in Florida it was down south in another country none I have been found ( mosquito )infected in the state of Florida at this time
I heard on TV that it is gotten only from sexual relations with someone who has it, so I am sure you are safe. I know Hubby and I are. And I have a strong faith in my God to keep us in His protective care. Has worked for 72 years! God bless! And…..well written article indeed! Thanks.
well I don’t plan on getting pregnant so I don’t have much to get excited about. Most adults won’t even know they had the virus and it only lasts a few days There is some discussion that if A person has the virus, gets bitten by a mosquito it might transfer to the bug who could then transfer it to another bug. So my chances of getting bitten during the few days I have the virus are maybe slim
I didn’t worry about Avian Flu so for many of us traveling it’s a non starter. Oh wait maybe I’ll carry one of those bugs from FL to Kansas now I have to worry?
Like Nuck says there’s too much fun to be had to worry about this stuff
Well, we have no worries at our age about pregnancies…but until they figure out if it can be passed to those in that age group…would be good to maybe be more cautious. By that I mean, stuff one does to avoid getting bit by any insect, misquitos, etc…no bites help us out any anyway!! We take B vitamins and garlic pills…both help us not taste so good…avoid sugars and carbs so much would help too. Insects are drawn to some folks more than others. If there are fleas present they will seek out my hubby…most often avoiding me…and with diabetes, tis best not to have sores of any kind…so we found some natural stuff that does work to keep fleas away…when we go to see our daughter, whose little hairless dog due to wearing his sweater this time of year, brings them into the house…hubby sprays his shoes and pant legs…and no bites!! So folks need to be sensible…do what you can and then carry on!!
I have also read the same thing as Linda & Liz. It only damages the children of those pregnant ladies with Zika & the rest barely even know they have it.