Put On Your Mask First

We've all heard it, "Please don your own oxygen mask before assisting others around you," made famous by the US Dept of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Passenger Safety Information Briefing. If I expend all my energy saving you, but I expire in the process, how many others have not been helped (not to mention me!). If I DO take care of myself first, I multiply my force.

The idea of putting on our own mask first is not always our first reaction; "don't be selfish," "I can do this;" socialization teaches us to reach out first. But today we must put on our own mask first. It is important to us because our mask assists us in protecting others from what we might be carrying; but also, very importantly, and in the less literal sense of "mask"...we need to be taking care of ourselves so we can take care of others around us.

If you are like me, I am bewildered by what is happening around me and made more so by my doctors, the media, the call from Department of Health. So far, I'm in a house with two positives and one negative, we have no fevers, and alternating quarantine free dates of 3 days (doctor), 1 week after fever except negative tester who has 14 days (other doctor), and "hmmm, with positives but you're negative, I guess 10 days," (health of department). We've had no symptoms except 4 days of exhaustion for 2 positives, 2 weeks ago. We are wearing ourselves out trying to do the right thing. Will we die of starvation? (There are NO Cheetos left in this house!!!

So I have no advice except don your mask first, literally and figuratively...cuz we're gonna need you going forward.

What are you doing for yourself today so you can support the whole group of us tomorrow?