Greetings, Good People!

I've been a little MIA - but for good reason! The kiddos and I left 2 weeks prior to our scheduled leave and drove to Wisconsin to visit my family. With all the cancellations, pandemonium and all that jazz, I figured it may be now or never. We made the 18.5 hour drive in record time and all went well, thanks to close friends who kept me company along the way via technology!

I'm Usually One Who Panics Quietly

...but not this time. For some reason (maybe because it is a world-wide pandemic?) I am not too panicked. Right or wrong, I took my Gram (grandma) to the local Walmart the day after I arrived home. We were looking to gather a couple necessities not a cart full of items we didn't need. You would have thought the zombies were out in full force - wearing normal clothing that day! Glassed-over eyes and heaping-full grocery carts roamed the grocery aisles. There was an eerie silence among those shopping.

My Gram and I separated but had agreed to meet in 30 minutes. I just needed a few things from the grocery section. (In case you're curious, I've recently become addicted to avocado smoothies. I needed some fruit!) As I was wandering around with the zombies, I noticed three groups of people. Of course, there was around 75% of shoppers thinking the end of the world was drawing nigh and overfilling their carts. (I saw one lady with 8 gallons of milk on the rack under her cart. Seriously?) Then, there was about 10% of people like me, with empty carts, only grabbing a few things. The rest were people who were just walking around observing. I'd hear things like, "Look! Even ___ is out of stock!" or "I doubt we can find ___ here".

When it was time to meet my Gram, I realized she was no where to be found. This didn't shock me; we are always waiting for her sweet soul. After dropping my 2 bags of groceries off to the Jeep, I went back in and circled the store. I even checked the restroom. I couldn't find her anywhere! I still didn't worry. Surely, I somehow missed her. I just found a bench and waited where we said we would meet. She did show up, 20 minutes late! :)

Preparing For The Ubelievable

It is true. I don't need to further discuss what's going on in the world. We're all well aware. Surprising me, though, are the happenings in the United States. Y'all know about all the shutdowns, professional sports leagues postponing and canceling things, etc. What shocks me in this is that our state governors all differ substantially on where they stand for mandatory shutdowns. For example, the state of WI's governor has closed all schools beginning Wednesday at 5PM for a couple of weeks. The state of CO's governor (at the moment) is leaving it up to each individual school. It really doesn't matter to me, but it would be nice for there to be some consistency. What do I know? At least my tiny humans are able to spend a lot more time with their cousins on this trip! (I guess that worked out in my favor!)

We don't need to panic. At least not yet, right? We don't need to purchase cases of toilet paper; not that we could right now if we had to. We need to do what we can, that's all. Wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes, and don't purchase hundreds of dollars worth of unnecessary groceries! The statistics surrounding this pandemic are unfolding each day, and while it is scary, we need to let it run its course. Help your neighbors, hug your loved ones, and hang on tightly to your values.

Social Distancing?

You betcha! That's pretty much my jam (and peanut butter)! You see, there is a terrible sense of shock among parents world-wide who now have children at home all day long for weeks, due to schools being closed. Panic has ensued in some homes, but for me, it's what we do every day. I'm thankful that I have had the opportunity to teach my littles at home. I also don't usually need many reasons to stay home, as I'm comfortable there. This request for social distancing makes my little heart happy. I happen to love my family, so it is just a bonus around here! Bring it on!

The Silver Lining For ALL OF US

You guys! Do you fully understand how lucky we are? Those of us who have decided to jump on board with Wealthy Affiliate are already ahead of the ballgame! We're winning! We have hopes of making ourselves our own bosses and we're not being limited from continuing to work on our dream. We haven't been asked to stay away from WA. We are not running on a shortage of anything here.

In fact, we have an abundance of tools! Continue to use them through this time. If you're lucky enough to have time to work on your online biz, keep it up. Let it be a constant in this time of turmoil. I think we have so much yet to be thankful for, don't you? We're blessed to have this outlet. At the time I write this, the television is blasting news from across our country and the New Jersey governor is featured saying, "This is not time for business as usual". I disagree. WE, at WA, are WArriors... and we will carry on as usual!! Please stay healthy!

Ciao For Now, My Lovelies!

~Heidi