painstakingly pondering plenty of puzzling pandemic points  . . .  I confess, that’s what I’ve been doing – after all, my calendar has been cleared, I have been divested of all my diversions, entertainments have evaporated, appointments no longer apply (even a dentist appointment is a thing of the past) which leaves me with plenty of time for pondering  . . .

and there is no shortage of things to ponder during this COVID-19 dominated time in our history  . . .   so, (in no particular order)

I’m pondering gas prices – I have never seen them this low!  Normally, this would be wonderful news but at the present time I have no where that I have to be, so I don’t even need gas right now  . . .  interesting timing  . . .

then I’ve been pondering this mystery – with no sports of any kind going on right now, not even horse racing – what are all the sports gamblers up to?  they must be really bored –

next, I want to confess that many years ago I owned a t-shirt with the words “when things get tough, the tough go shopping” on it.  How ironic that when so many are in need of ways to deal with anxiety and/or boredom, retail therapy (a tried and true course of action) is not readily available as malls and stores in general are shut down.  (groceries do not count as retail therapy)  Retail therapy would be a win/win though, therapeutic for the shopper and a boost to the economy at the same time, potentially saving both in the process  . . .

work on a COVID-19 vaccine is underway – I wonder if anyone is working on a fear vaccine?  Fear is also highly contagious and quite debilitating, often crippling or paralyzing its victims.  And fear can be fatal.  Symptoms include panic buying, greed, irrational behavior, lashing out at others, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, hopelessness, (that’s the one that will kill you – loss of hope)  so if there ever was a fear vaccine, it would be in great demand  . . .  I’m just saying  . . .

anytime of day or night that I might happen to turn on the TV, I am given updates on Corona deaths in my county, state, country and in other countries around the world.  It is a running count, continuously changing, shown in the corner of the screen.  I am wondering, where is the running count of how many are recovering from the Corona virus every day?  I am wondering, how many people had it, recovered and never even saw a doctor, so are not included in any numbers about mortality rates of this virus?  Don’t I need to know that as well?  Isn’t hope as important as fear?   (fear filled people are easier to control than those set free by truth and hope, enabling them to think for themselves)

I am pondering how many flu deaths are occurring each day and why there is not a running count of those on my TV screen?  I am perplexedly pondering how we ever got through the pandemic of the H1N1 flu in 2009-2010 without shutting everything down, without people losing their jobs and their businesses,  without stores closing, without taking away churches, libraries, restaurants, gyms, sports, museums, concerts and of course schools and universities?  It makes no sense.  We were told nothing about H1N1, it barely made the news and certainly not the headlines.

I am pondering why the musicians at the Kennedy Center just lost their jobs and their benefits, including health insurance when there was just twenty-five million allocated to the Kennedy Center for the express purpose of keeping people employed, so they can support themselves and their families?

I have become a pondering person  . . .  when things are not making sense where do I turn?   today I turned to Psalm 36:5-9,

“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the great deep.  O Lord, You preserve both man and beast.  How priceless is Your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.  They feast on the abundance of Your house; You give them drink from Your river of delights.  For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”

I will trust in my Heavenly Father.  He fills me with faith, not with fear.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”   (Psalm 27:1)

sincerely and ponderously,      Grace Day