*peeks out from behind a wall*

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I agree...there should be germ transmission taught in health classes at elementary & high school! And no making fun of those people/kids who don't want to share a straw or lip balm etc. Do you know how many cold viruses have been spread??? And that virus is for life & can kill an infant!!

undertale...I think Nerdy AliCat & Npixelz were fans ??? Not positive but pretty sure.

[meowzipan]

right!!
part of the reason kids are so bad about spreading germs is because they're never properly taught how to be more careful. i can still remember some of the things they taught in my elementary classes, but it was mostly just, "we'll introduce this once and move on," and it was few and far between.
it would be especially cool to have classes about viruses and illnesses for people who want to join the medical field. (honestly, first aid should also be taught in schools as an elective or a mandatory class.) instead, we've got artists sitting there learning chemistry, and doctors learning calculus. xD

[galled]

The other side of the proverbial coin is there have been numerous studies that have shown that not getting exposed and/or sick by common diseases when you're younger leads to much more serious infections when you're older. Other studies have shown that being exposed to a sterile environment (fewer germs) when you're young leads to a less robust immune system as an adult. So it's certainly not a clear cut issue, but I agree knowledge is power! The more kids (everyone!) know, the better off we are. However, I hate to say it, but knowledge without critical thinking skills leads to disaster, so that should be taught as well.

[meowzipan]

yeah, that's true, kids do need to develop an immune system. i just think classes about viruses and illnesses, or even medical aid, would be cool in high school or middle school! little kids probably wouldn't retain much from classes like that? they just need to be reminded to wash their hands. xD but then, so do grown adults, lol.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Remember the Barney songs about washing your hands and brushing your teeth? Songs are a great way to teach pre-K about being clean and also conserving water and other educational stuff.

[Gingerale]

<peeks into your thread to see if you are there>

[Lemon Cheesecake]

<climbs on top of the wall and looks over into the garden> how are things?

[meowzipan]

*crawls out from under a rose bush* o hello. i am awake!
i actually didn't realize it had been so long since i came here? ;w; i hope you guys have been doing well!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

time keeps on slipping past...I did not realize how much I depended on events and activities to mark the passing of time...now one day blurs into another as each day is much the same as the last day.

I'm still working but otherwise home isolating. Grocery shopping once a week, work on my garden but don't go outside otherwise.

What have you been up to?

[meowzipan]

yeah, it's so hard to keep track. ;w; i've always had a hard time with it, but i wish there was somewhere to go or something else to do.
looking after a garden sounds so nice! if i had one, i'd probably be outside all the time. it's so dark inside, but i don't want to go to the park or the store because it's been so hot and there's so many people.

i haven't been up to much, honestly. ;w; it's been hard to find inspiration to write and i haven't drawn anything in weeks either. just kind of stuck in ennui city, listening to music and reading when i can focus.

[galled]

Sorry to hear you're in a rut. That's understandable and there's a lot of that going around now. Lack of stimulation and interpersonal contact is probably behind it all (many studies on how the same affects animals--so no surprise here). (I also think watching/reading too much negative news creates a sense of hopelessness/lack of control--which can greatly influence one's outlook.)

I've found that looking forward to things helps--either/or on a personal level (next week I want to do X) or on a marcro level (the SpaceX tests for their Mars vehicle is so cool, I can't wait to see what comes next).

In any case, of course if there's anything we can do, we're standing by!

[meowzipan]

thank you! ;w; i appreciate that. i think it's just one of those things that needs more time before it will pass, or maybe i just need to relax and stop thinking so much for a while. i just Seriously hope that all of this will end soon and get better.

i hadn't heard much about the SpaceX tests, but now i know what i'm going to read about next!! it sounds really cool!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

People need hope...we need to believe there is an end to our trials.

It makes me wonder how serfs felt in the middle ages working with little hope of having enough to feed their family, very little possibility of becoming more, bound for generations to "Lords", serving. Somewhere they must have had hope that one day they would be able to own their own land, be owners of their own lives...I expect that when hope is continuously deferred people finally decide enough is enough and try to make changes. Hence, migration to another country, facing insurmountable odds for the opportunity for the hope of something better. When I look back at history I have always been grateful for living in the time period I do. However, this whole covid shutdown rules and isolation makes me feel like I am getting a taste of what others had to live through....but I have a place to sleep, I have food to eat, I have work and friends and family I love and a faith that we can get through this. Hope for tomorrow.

[meowzipan]

i've turned into something like a deliberate optimist these days. it's VERY easy to just decide things are never going to change, and it's hard to remember that the present is temporary. i'm still trying.
but, yeah, it is refreshing once in a while to count my blessings and just remember that i have things to be thankful for. it's why i like that 'three good things from today' thread! and in five years everyone will look back on 2020 and just remember how messed up it was, and we'll all be relieved to put it behind us!
let's all keep hanging in there!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I'm with you on putting 2020 behind us! It has been all too surreal. Hopefully we take lessons from it, learn from our mistakes, learn from what we did right, so it doesn't happen again!

I agree with you on trying to find the positive in a day as well! Actually went out to eat tonight, it was a beautiful warm evening and the tables were outside...still kind of felt guilty though like I was breaking rules...or maybe it was just a weird feeling because I haven't eaten out in soooooo long!