Rushing's Ramblings

  Denial of COVID by the President: "It's a hoax by the Democrats."  "COVID-19 affects virtually nobody." "This is the flu. This is just like the flu." "So last year, 37,000 people died from the flu. We've only had 22 deaths (March 2020)."  "It will vanish in a few months."  "It will suddenly go away on November 3." (He knew of the impending pandemic MONTHS before he made those statements and chose to ignore it. His administration ignored the work the Obama administration had created regarding handling a pandemic). It should be no surprise that planes carrying infected people would spread the virus worldwide when we first heard of COVID occurring in China over a year ago.   Lack of leadership concerning social distancing, wearing masks, and avoiding crowds:  The president hosted super-spreader rallies for months leading up to the election. His followers mimic everything he does or says. The Trump Party allowed the abov...

Johann Hari has written a well-researched nonfiction book entitled  Lost Connections . After suffering for many years with depression, he was prescribed antidepressants and told that his depression was due to a malfunctioning brain that didn't produce enough serotonin. His doctor would increase the dosage when his depression worsened, only to experience short-term relief.   In his quest to answer why he was depressed and why drugs didn't ultimately "cure" him, he began to meet with researchers worldwide. Hari discovered that there are many reasons people are depressed, most often because they have lost connections with other people. Often, they isolate themselves from others. Like Hari, they may have suffered from childhood trauma but felt too ashamed to discuss it with anyone. So, they buried their feelings. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that we do not obtain happiness by acquiring beautiful houses, the most expensive car, fashionable clothes, etc. When we ach...

Patience isn't my strong suit. The harder I attempt to be more patient, the more impatient I become. At age 71, I doubt I will change, even though I wouldn't say I like having such a troublesome character flaw. Thanksgiving started at 5:30 AM with my grand dog, Enzo, whining and jumping on and off the bed. After a few minutes, he was loudly crying, and I repeatedly admonished him to be quiet. The whining continued in the bathroom as I hurriedly got dressed. After taking both dogs out, Enzo rushed to the refrigerator door, madly scratching and whining about being fed. I quickly fed him. It took 5 seconds for a six-pound dog to gobble his food and want more, but his breakfast at least calmed him for a few minutes. Paddy and I took a long walk while Enzo stayed home. Paddy likes to sniff every blade of grass he encounters, and Enzo likes to pee multiple times on each rock and weed he meets. Wrestling both dogs for two or three miles isn't my idea of fun. What little patience...

  I was honored to know and work with many courageous and dedicated individuals in my long professional healthcare career. Nurses were always my favorite of all the staff who worked for me. Nurses address the patient's medical needs but do more than dispense medication and take blood pressure. The patient's welfare rests firmly on their shoulders for the more significant part of every day. Nurses are the ones who form the most vital relationship with patients. The nurse is there in the wee hours of the morning, listening to the patient and giving them what they need, whether it be a shoulder to cry on or a quick call to the physician to find a medication that might ease their pain. Other healthcare professionals might see the patient briefly or for a couple of hours daily for therapy, while specific patients are assigned to one nurse for 12 hours. Often, a nurse is the last person seen by a patient before they die. Nurses aren't paid enough for their job and the risks they...

  "Always on my Mind" brings back bittersweet memories of the time when Marcy was young, and her Dad (Jack) and I were still together. Willie's album was released when Marcy was just a few years old, and we played it often. In analyzing our break-up a few years later, Jack quoted Willie's lyrics, "Little things I should have said and done/I just never took the time/You were always on my mind/You were always on my mind."  I've had regrets about the divorce, mainly since Marcy was only 6. We should have tried harder to stay together, but I was frequently traveling as part of my job, and my eyes were wide open to the possibilities within my reach, coupled with the decline of our love for each other. Both of us let love die.   If we had stayed together, I would not have had the adventurous life I've had with Marcy in tow for much of it. On the other hand, we may have experienced our own adventures. Who knows? We can't go back, although the memories s...

I'm tired. I'm tir ed of being exposed to COVID. Three times in two months, not counting the times I've been indirectly exposed through our COVID testing site, where I'm one of the volunteers testing people for the virus. However, I'm gowned, N-95 masked, and gloved during the two hours we conduct the tests, so I'm confident I'm not in harm's way. We are tested frequently, and none of us has tested positive. But it's the other times that I'm informed after a couple of days (usually in a text!) that some such meeting I've attended had someone who tested positive the next day. Three of the people who tested positive did not have a mask that covered their nose and mouth or took it off at various times during the meeting. I've refused to attend a couple of board meetings in person because one of the board members has a lung condition, coughs frequently, and won't wear a mask while seated. How will even he or we know if he's positive a...

Like everyone else, I'm happy to see 2020 behind us. It was a year that gave us lots of time for introspection. I survived the shingles before the official start of the pandemic and had two hip replacements during the pandemic. Those were tough times while I was going through it, but I had help from family and friends. The recovery was quick and relatively painless, and I emerged stronger. Many people didn't have it as easy because they lost loved ones or suffered from the loss of jobs. What I learned from 2020 was that we have tragically mishandled the pandemic. A disturbingly considerable number of people still believe that COVID isn't real or is no worse than the flu. Most of the same crowd feels their freedom has been taken away with mask mandates and restrictions on gatherings and will not comply. Unlike Australia and New Zealand, who came together to fight COVID by adhering to common sense guidelines, our country has been devastated by deaths and an economic downturn,...