Let’s Talk About this “Rona” The Coronavirus! – I know, I know…

Safety Precautions & What is “Pandemic” vs an “Epidemiccrisis

I know, before you give me a deep embedded *sigh* – by now you’ve probably heard about the coronavirus more times than anyone else would care too and I get it, I’m a little worn out of the word myself. However, now that this “Rona” as I call it, is no joke and truly something you should be preparing for. I thought I’d talk about the difference between what a pandemic and epidemic crisis is, along with giving you a couple of tips on how you can keep yourself as well as your home healthy.

So, first things first. What’s the difference between a pandemic and epidemic crisis. When first talks of the coronavirus began, I heard that it was just an epidemic crisis and monitoring was going on, however over the last weeks, it has now become a pandemic, which takes this “Rona” case from a 10 to a clear 100 overnight!

  • An Epidemic Crisis is: When a disease or illness is isolated to one region or country.
  • A Pandemic Crisis is: A widespread infectious disease, bacteria, or virus that sickens a large number of people worldwide.

Also, some other terms you need to know?

  • Asymptomatic – means someone is showing no symptoms.
  • Symptoms – showing known signs or a virus and/or illness.

Now that we have that out of the way and you know the difference because truth be told, I didn’t until more info about the “Rona” spread across the news waves and the trillion updates we’ve gotten for what seems like every min/hour after. However, it’s here and I have this strong feeling that it’s going to get worse before we see a light and rainbows at the end of the tunnel.

~ BUT DON’T FRET! ~

I know this too shall pass just like Y2K, Anthrax and everything else that came to shift the nation prior. Although this case seems like it will be remembered for years to come. In the wake of the “Rona” epidemic, there are things that you can do to stay well, be safe and keep you sanity on the up and up no matter the mad dash people are making to the stores in a frenzy!

Stay Well

With everything going on and as reports suggest, it’s best to drink plenty of water, take your multi’s and /or anything that will boost your immune system. I’m a HUGE fan of tea but not just any type of tea. I love the teas that have added health benefits to them such as this new one that I’m trying right now (see below) and it’s really good too. I got mine from Amazon but you can find it at your local Wal-Mart (I doubt if it’ll be gone off the shelves). I take my multi-vitamins as well as drink my Emergen-C! which is chock full of vitamin C. And not only wash your hands but give it a vigorous scrub, that way germs are actually getting washed off (more on sanitization next). You should increase fruit and veggie intake and get in a little exercise if you can – I plan to take out my walking tapes. You can walk around your house or in your neighborhood with discretion!

Be Safe

The crazy thing about this “Rona” is that you just don’t know who’s a carrier and that could be anyone!! since the average person will not start showing symptoms for quite a few days. Most cities and states have already begun shutting businesses down or limiting the interaction of events in which involve people. We now reference this new terminology as “social-distancing” – If you just happen to go out, cover your mouth and neck with a scarf and be careful of the places you go and how many people are intended to be there. Carry sanitizer with you and take advantage of the sanitizer wipes in stores to wipe down your grocery and/or carry baskets. I would sanitize my hands afterward as well.

I know my friend Deborah started carrying Clorox wipes in a zip lock bag in her purse when she took them out to wipe down the table we were going to eat at for girls’ night out with us and another friend and took out her big bottle of sanitizer. I believe I realized at that point just how REAL things were, the waitress even asked her could she use some…lol. You have to protect yourself and others as well. Especially yourself, even if others don’t.

Sanity vs. Panicky

This health crisis has everyone up in arms, of course, you can tell by the empty shelves in the grocery stores and the rush to get EVERYTHING in sight’s eye whether you really need it or not. My friend told me over the weekend that she saw a guy come out of the store with five deep freezers, yes FIVE! and here it is I was debating on if I should get just one. I understand the concern and the frenzy because at this point, nobody knows the outcome or what’s really going to happen and I get it, however, remember in the bible when Jesus slept in the midst of that raging storm? (Matthew 8:23-27) He wasn’t fazed by it, neither was he fretful but the disciples were afraid and probably thought that the boat would capsize and they’d be lost at sea or something worse. When they awoke Jesus, crying for him to get up and do something about the endured crisis (epidemic), he spoke “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

With one word, he calmed the sea and everything was fine. What am I trying to say? This Pandemic scare is no different than that incident back in Jesus’s time. This is the time to ask yourself, am I going to panic? or stand still and trust that God has this ALL under control. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying NOT to prepare because afterall, I do believe God wants us to use wisdom even in this crisis but what I’m saying is that we shouldn’t allow this crisis to make us question our faith in the man who can say one word and calm all this chaos. But the faith is not so much in what God can do but in how you react to what’s in front of you. Are you going to fear, fail or fall under the mounting pressure?

Find something that will keep your mind occupied in this time, whether it be a song, a book, a quote or a reading of scripture such as the one provided above. Meditation is also a good source.

As I told my subscribers last week, If we survived Y2KH1N1AnthraxEbola and etc – we can surely fight our way through this one!

Much Love & Prayers to you and yours, Be Safe, Use Wisdom & Don’t forget to Sanitize! 

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Did you notice that I didn’t blog last week?, Well, I actually did. Did you miss it, did you miss me? Well, why not become a subscriber because there will be times that I’ll be sharing things there and not on here! Subscribe today to not MISS anything – whether I’m here or elsewhere!

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Also, with the cancellations and closures – most of us will be “stuck inside the house” is there anything you’d like me to talk about and/or discuss on the blog? leave a comment and let me know!

ISSA Giveaway: How About A Book & Some Lollipops!!

Featured Image Credit: Roshonda – B Creative

So, this post will be very short – don’t blink or you’ll miss it!!

Image Credit: Riverdale/Archie

Last week I did a book review for Jacqueline Pirtle‘s new book ‘Parenting Through the Eyes of Lollipops’ – Did you read it? Well, if not you might want too!

As the title states, I’m having a GIVEAWAY!! or I guess I should say Jacqueline, the author of ‘Parenting Through the Eyes of Lollipops’ is giving away a signed copy of her new book, the book that just came out last month, a book that is flying off the shelves, just as her first book ‘365 Days of Happiness’ did!

And guess what, you get to have your very own copy! Andddd, to make this deal even sweeter, Jacqueline is going to not only mail you the book but you’re going to get a bag of lollipops to go with it, HOW. COOL. IS. THAT!! (Those dots are me clapping, lol)

Too cool, right?? So, if you want a copy – this is what you have to do! You know there are rules and stipulations…he hehe…

Okay, here are the rules. First things first…
  1. You MUST like and leave a comment on last week’s post >>> Here You Go!!
  2. Follow Jacqueline on IG >> Here You Go!! and/or FB >> Here You Go!!
  3. Leave a comment under this >> > post – after your comment use the hashtag #lollipoplollipop @justsuminspiration2u

And THAT’S IT!! Easy Right?? – You must follow all the steps in order to win! If you follow Jacqueline on FB, please put #lollipoplollipop @roshondabcreates after your comment. I think FB will alert me to my name being used.

There will be “one” winner and names will be picked at random. The deadline to do this is October 22nd by noon!

Remember you have to use the hashtag #lollipoplollipop and @justsuminspiration2u for IG or @roshondabcreates for FB, in order for me to know you did it!

Oh and P.S. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, due to mailing procedures but hey, even if you’re not in the states, still show Jacqueline some love!

I can’t wait to pick a winner! – Will it be YOU???

Talk Soon! & Good Luck!!

Will You Join Me for A Little Table Talk??

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!!

Sunday, September 30th!

I will be doing a Podcast with BGTT – Brown Girl Table Talk! I’ll talk about my first book “Billy Wolf & The Kids of Heavenly Hills Elementary”

Continue reading “Will You Join Me for A Little Table Talk??”

Sunday’s Thought: The Voices We Keep Silent…

As a child growing up, there were quite a few issues that occurred in my life in which I felt like my voice either went either unheard or numb to the world around me. I grew up in a household with a bully step-father who fought my mom to no end, sometimes those fights ended in bloodshed, I watched as he hit, degraded and shamed her; whether in public, in front of his or her family and most heartbreakingly, in front of me and my two sisters. Where was my voice to speak up? In this case, it was helpless.

Continue reading “Sunday’s Thought: The Voices We Keep Silent…”

EnSpired: No Means No! In Nairobi, Kenya. Empowerment for Girls, A Lesson for the Boys…

photo above courtesy of bing/reuters/nairobikenya/boys

Within the last year, or months I can say – the #METOO movement has given women as well as men a voice to speak up and say NO to sexual abuse/harassment. Over the past year, we’ve seen many high profile men come under fire as well as lose their power for lewd acts of sexual misconduct they’ve secretly done to women and men for months/years. Women and men alike have taken a stand and decided that enough is enough; their silence was not going to be hushed no longer.

Nairobi Kenya4

 

While the #METOO movement has brought much needed attention to this ongoing issue; companies, T.V. networks and workplaces have stepped up their game as well to make sure that sexual harassment/abuse and rape be addressed and dealt with appropriately.

The movement has raised awareness and has given organizations like No Means No Worldwide a platform to continue to empower both young girls and boys to create a culture of mutual respect for women. The program teaches girls self-defense tactics to avoid a sexual assault should they get into one, but it doesn’t stop there – the program also teaches young boys mannerisms when it comes to girls such as “No, is not a Yes” and how to respect young ladies when they say No!

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In Nairobi, Kenya – girls are taught how to defend themselves against an attacker

As you’ll see in the video below – the mentality of most young men prior to taking the program was like our culture today, meaning “If a young lady is wearing provocative clothing” she’s asking to be raped and most felt like it was okay to do so (I know, sad right?) Well, after taking the program – the young men gain a new respect for women and instead of taking advantage of them, they’re taught to defend them, should they see them getting attacked.

The No Means No Worldwide program is a 12-hour curriculum that emphasizes interactive verbal skills, role playing and physical training, in which teaches the youth to speak up and/or prevent or intervene in an attack. No Means No, overall goal is to reduce rape & teen pregnancy. Below, the program was completed in Nairobi, Kenya and has garnered great results since its start.

Check out the video below and see how the No Means No Worldwide initiative is helping young girls as well as boys in Nairobi, Kenya.

 

If you or maybe someone you know is currently or has been the victim of a sexual assault/harassment (no matter how long ago it was) dont’ be afraid to TAKE A STAND!

Please tell someone you trust and take it further by going to your local authorities because, ONE voice is all it takes to change the culture and world around us! 

 

Roshonda N. Blackmon

Creator of A Blog, A Magazine. It’s JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

 

 

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