Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

I stole the title to today’s blog from my favorite singer of all time, Jimmy Buffett (who is followed closely by Billy Joel). If you haven’t heard the song, here is a YouTube link to it. I think it’s a message we all need right now.

My email and newsfeeds and Facebook are all blowing up with all kinds of stories, lies, and downright nonsense about the coronavirus. A lot of RVers are complaining because state parks are closing  their campgrounds and they won’t have a place to go camping. If you’re a weekend warrior, just relax. This will blow over and you’ll be able to go out and camp again. If you’re a fulltimer who lives in your RV, find a commercial campground and hunker down until things stabilize. This isn’t the end of the world, it’s just an inconvenience and we’re all in it together.

I talked to a couple of friends who work in grocery stores and they both have told me that it’s crazy; people fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitizer, cussing out the employees because shelves are empty, and generally making fools of themselves.

A lot of people keep saying we don’t have anything to worry about because more people die from the flu every year. Maybe so, but comments like that remind me of an uncle of mine, a World War II vet, who always said he was in a “real war” and that Vietnam was nothing like that. Maybe not, but they were firing real bullets, and if you got hit, it still hurt like hell.

We shouldn’t take coronavirus lightly, but at the same time, it’s not going to kill anybody to stay home and away from crowds, to miss a meal in a restaurant, or not to go to your favorite bar. Here’s an idea, stay home and read a book!

Speaking of books, yesterday was an 8,000 word day for me on my new John Lee Quarrels mystery. That brings me to just about the halfway point. A lot of my time today will be spent reading through and making the corrections to what I did yesterday.

And also speaking of books, it’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. I am excited about this week’s prize, an autographed copy of Outlaw Road, the second book in my good friend Billy Kring’s excellent Hunter Kincaid mystery series about a female Border Patrol agent who isn’t afraid of taking on the tough and dangerous cases, or of stepping on toes, to see justice done. A former Border Patrol Agent himself, as well as a writer and actor, Billy has worked as a consultant on terrorism and international border issues in such places as Mexico, South America, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pan Pacific. He’s also one of the nicest men you will ever meet and my favorite author. I read every book Billy brings out the minute it is available. To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) 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 – When I say “the other day” I could be referring to anything from yesterday to 15 years ago.