Some people are not doing so well handling the pandemic.

In one sad case, a Port Townsend woman was heard screaming through her open back door. A teenage girl called out to ask if she were okay. The screaming woman answered, “Yes! I’m just letting out anger. I hope all Trump supporters die!”

As documented on Facebook (and preserved by this author in screen shots), an elected Jefferson County official and other, I guess you would call them progressives or liberals, celebrated news that Senator Rand Paul had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. “Karma!” they gloated. With witty twists of the knife they shared their fondest hope that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would be the virus’s next victim. This incident negatively impacted others. Some of us who saw the exchange contracted a case of disappointment in a man we had thought was better than that. Others suffered aggravation of preexisting conditions of maliciousness and immaturity.

It is possible these people may have overdosed on agitprop and outright lies from MSNBC and CNN, as well as achieving toxic levels of echo chamber feedback with others suffering similar symptoms from similar causal factors.

But people taking the right medicine seem to be doing much better.

There is the case of a friend who came to our door to collect scraps for his pig farm. He had been depending on restaurant food waste to make his operation pencil out. With so many restaurants closing or scaling back, he was in a bind.  But due to a helping hand from people across the area, he was doing better than expected.  All it took was the insignificant effort of redirecting kitchen scraps into a bucket instead of the garbage.

He was struggling. He was having to work harder than ever to feed his livestock.  But he was smiling.

In what could be considered a longitudinal study, New Life Church of Port Townsend has organized outreach teams. One is working its way through the membership and friends list calling everyone to see if they are okay and let them know they are not alone. Another is ready to do chores or buy groceries and run errands for people who can’t get out, or who are afraid to go out. All indications are that participants in this field test of compassion and selflessness are exhibiting signs of good mental and spiritual health. Other churches reportedly have similar efforts in place and are experiencing similar encouraging results.

I came across a woman on her way to give blood at St. Mary Star of the Sea. A plasma collection outfit comes to Port Townsend once a month and was in town.  She didn’t want to miss this chance to help. She displayed a positive, optimistic affect highlighted by a big smile.

I conducted an experiment on myself. I think I’m doing pretty good, though, like everyone else, there have been some dark clouds scudding across my horizons. I had heard that the new owners of Elevated Ice Cream were quite concerned about the sudden drop-off in business dashing their hopes for starting a new life here in Port Townsend. I bought a cold armful of quarts of ice cream and, except for the Salted Chocolate Caramel Swirl (mine, all mine!) distributed them to a couple neighbors. We all smiled.

 

Hoping to validate the experiment by duplicating results, I dug around in my garage and found an unopened package of N95 respirator masks. I took them to the hospital and gave them to the woman working the front door with her sanitizer and thermometer and questions about recent travel to China, Iran or Italy.  They need more masks, she said. Maybe I have some deeper down in those old file cabinets supporting my work bench. Maybe they can use ones from opened packages I have laying around.

Oh, and we both smiled as I handed over the masks.

My wife joined in the experiment. She downloaded instructions from Providence St. Joseph’s on how to make surgical masks and set up her sewing machine and cutting board. When she was ready, I drove her to the San Juan Commons senior facility where they needed masks for residents. She was smiling when she got back in the car.

Another field test is underway. A volunteer Pony Express to deliver COVID19 vaccine trial samples from Jefferson Healthcare to the testing lab is forming. Every morning at 6:30 a.m. we’ll pick up specimen packages at the hospital and drive them to Discovery Bay where another team coming from further west will take them through the next leg of their journey.

We need more experiments and more participants. I spoke with a scheduler at Swedish Hospital in Seattle who had the sad job of calling patients to tell them their surgeries had been cancelled indefinitely because beds were or might be needed for COVID19 patients.  I felt terrible for her. She said the only way she could get through this challenging time was to look for ways to help other people.

That seems to be the key, and what distinguishes those doing well from those who aren’t.  We might not yet have a medical answer for the virus, but we have some mighty strong medicine against the pandemic’s side effects. Thinking of others, finding creative ways to help in spite of restrictions on our lives–that’s a sure-fire cure. The supplies of this amazing antidote are plentiful, limited only by self choice. Wonderfully, unlike pharmaceuticals, there’s no danger whatsoever it will be hoarded. You see, this miracle medicine doesn’t work unless you give it away.

Now, for this cure’s next big test: I need to learn what kind of ice cream the screaming woman likes.