The longer we are home, the more I read! I have loved reading my whole life and along the way, I seemed to have less and less time for it, because our life was so filled with things to do and people to see. Now, with “shelter in place” (and actually even before that was a mandate), I have not left our house or our property with the exception of a couple of rides in the country. I have been in place since March 11th! (My age and underlying respiratory issues making me more vulnerable to this virus than others) Now, suddenly, I have all the time in the world to read…albeit slowly with my uncorrected vision due to an aborted elective eye surgery.

At first, I read everything I could get my hands on pertaining to the Corona Virus…where it was in the world, how it was being handled, contagion rate, death rate, and so on. At first, my purpose was accessing information that kept me informed, so I could be prepared..mentally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually!

It wasn’t kong before I was oversaturated with dire statistics and stories upon stories of individuals who were hit by this horrible disease. It was akin to watching a steam roller coming down the street as I lay there, paralyzed, helplessly and hopelessly waiting my fate. This was how I had come to feel as I took in the news of the world.

Over this time, I have dealt with a lot of anxiety and fear of the unknown, mostly on behalf of our adult children. Each day, I found more and more articles to read and in the midst of all the horrible statistics were stories of hope and faith and and ways to contribute to the better good! There were also those offering humor as medicine to allow us to laugh again!

My point is that we have a choice. We can choose to saturate ourselves with the news of the day from all over the world or we can choose to keep one eye on the news for safety’s sake while using the other eye to read spiritually uplifting devotions, meditations, and feel good stories of people who conquered fear with courage.

The following is a great story about perception of the world around you. Sometimes it is best to live in your own reality of what is, rather than in another persons perception of reality. Its an old story, but I have always loved it! I hope you enjoy it!

THE MAN WHO SOLD HOT DOGS

There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs.

He was hard of hearing so he had no radio.

He had trouble with his eyes so he read no newspapers.

But he sold good hot dogs.

He put up signs on the highway telling how good they were.

He stood on the side of the road and cried; “buy a hot dog, mister?

And people bought.

He increased his meat and bun orders.

He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.

He finally got his son home from college to help him out.

But then something happened.

His son said, “Father, haven’t you been listening to the radio?

Haven’t you been reading the newspapers?

There’s a big depression.

The European situation is terrible.

The domestic situation is worse.”

Where upon the father thought, “well, my son’s been to college, he reads the papers and he listens to the radio, and he ought to know.”

So the father cut down on his meat and bun orders, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered to stand out on the highway to sell his hot dogs.

And his hot dog sales fell almost overnight.

“You’re right, son” the father said to the boy.

“We certainly are in the middle of a great depression.”

Jjb/4/3/2020