One of the greatest lessons learned during my nursing career is the fragility of human life. Many times when a patient and their loved ones are given news of a life-altering diagnosis, they’ve told me: we didn’t expect this; but I’m not ready; I should have…; but I did everything right; we thought we had more time. The truth is we are only custodians of life, and although we like to think we have the answers for living large and living longer, in reality, we have very few answers and even less control. What we have plenty of is fear – of pain, infirmity, loss of control, and that great equalizer, death.
In times when our health and way of life are threatened, we do some crazy things. Witness the worldwide hoarding of toilet paper and canned food. While it’s a good idea to stock a reasonable amount of household supplies, as a virus about which we know very little wreaks havoc on the civilized world, now is the time to remember that our cupboards and bathrooms are not the only areas that need to be ready in these times of uncertainty.
So here is a list – a starting point if you will – of ways we can prepare not just our bodies but our souls during these times when we realize just how vulnerable we are.