Well, it’s been about a year since COVID-19 popped up out of
nowhere. A lot has changed over that period of time. Here are some of my observations…
THE COVID VIRUS: I don’t think science understands this
pandemic or disease. We are dealing with it, but it is a very strange thing,
weird symptoms, weird outcomes. No big deal for some, deadly for others. A
disruptive plague that is reshaping the entire world. I think the best thing
you can do is to make sure you do those things that obviously put you in the best
position if you get infected: proper sleep, diet, hygiene, habits, exercise,
etc. I’m not convinced that the vaccines will be the end of this. We may be
living abnormally for a very long time. It will mutate and we don’t know the
long term consequences of what we are doing.
ONLINE TRAINING. I have done, and have seen others do, more
online dog training over the past year. I did online lessons all through the
quarantine. It has it’s place in the dog training world. I can do a lot of
things for a student, however, some things are better done in person. Just like
you can’t train someone to fly an airplane by watching videos, you can’t train
a person and a dog to do everything possible using online lessons. I’d say I
was able to do about 75% of the lesson topics using online resources. But the
other 25% need me to be there to work directly with the owner and the dog. It
was good in the short run, and I am still available to do online lessons, but I
prefer to see the dog and students personally. Fortunately, I’ve been working
steadily all along.
SOCIALIZATION PROBLEMS: Our society has experienced a
traumatic shift in how we relate to other people socially. Even today, parks
that used to be filled with families and activities are mostly empty. Dogs aren’t
being socialized as much with other dogs or people. People are on edge, I see
it in how aggressively people drive around town. Students tell me how their
kids are really suffering, and they whisper about how they are hearing about childhood
suicides among their kids friends. People are home a lot more. Family members are
fighting, and many aren’t talking with one another. The trailheads are packed
on the weekends.
Even I find myself feeling somewhat empty, like something is
missing, and I have to remind myself that we are living in strange times. I don’t
spend time with friends any more. I have doubled down on some things, such as I
now am exercising every day. On the other hand, until about a week ago, I didn’t
realize I had let my nutritional intake become unhealthy. I found out after a
routine blood test, so I have to get back to what I know is better. The bad
eating somehow just slipped in there. I find myself watching a lot more TV and
spending even more time on the internet to kill time. To adapt to all of this, I
decided around the end of 2020 to focus my mind on work. I don’t get much
recreation, and I missed my annual vacation last year. I also find that when I do
talk with people, I tend to be too talkative, and I have to make sure that
doesn’t happen during my lessons. I also picked up my clarinet and started playing
it again. I’m also finding an increased interest in studying outdoor things,
such as hiking, plants, animals, nature and such. I find comfort and calmness
through regular prayer. God will see us through, will see me through.
THE POPULATION SHIFT: It is amazing me how the major cities
across the US are emptying out, and how many are relocating here in
Phoenix. I wonder how that is all going to play out. Everyone seems to have
gotten a dog, as well. People are moving to the suburbs for a different type of
lifestyle. I wonder how that is going to affect our pets. I just don’t know
right now. I don’t see more dogs in public, however. It is definitely getting
harder to find an apartment to rent with a pet. It is a sellers market. Phoenix
is prospering, so that has been good for those who are already here and
established. A lot of new money and talent is arriving every day, and that will
transform Phoenix into a major power center. I’m glad I’m here. Phoenix isn’t
for everyone, but it has been good for me.
THE DEATH OF ANIMAL RESCUE: Animal rescue has been decimated
by this pandemic. I hear rumors of things. There’s no money for big ideas. The established
rescues are still out there and operating, but I don’t think there are as many
pets being saved, and I wonder what we will find when we look back and tally up
the damage.
EVERYTHING IS POLITICS: I’m fed up with politics, aren’t you?
Social media companies aren’t making things better. They are making things
worse. Instead of focusing on what is important, we are all fighting with one
another in some kind of cold Cold War. Things are not OK out there. Things are
not running smoothly and I think we are all avoiding recognizing what is happening.
I think we are all wondering what new plague is coming our way. And you can’t
joke about it, since even gallows humor will get you punished by social media. There
doesn’t seem to be a safety valve to let off steam socially. I worry about our
world, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Dog politics have been put inside
the Cone Of Silence. My guess is that bad actors are getting away with bad
actions and lips are sealed. I worry about the fate of our nation, there are
dark clouds on the horizon.
THE ECONOMY: Our economy isn’t healthy. During the Great
Recession, thousands of pets were surrendered to animal control and were
slaughtered. They say that the real unemployment rate is 10%, and that 50% of
small businesses will have been wiped out over the past year. The government
can’t keep printing money and doing business as usual. You can’t escape the
laws of economics. The eviction and foreclosure moratoria are about to be
lifted, and I wonder if we will see a repeat of the dog holocaust we saw last
time. The government is doing everything wrong, exactly the things you shouldn’t
be doing during a recession. Instead we are all being focused on politics rather
than what really matters. You can’t have successful nation of rich and poor and
no middle class.
IN CONCLUSION: No one is coming to save you. You need to make
sure you are taking care of you and yours, including your pets. Right now it is
time to stick to the basics: faith, fitness, family, finances, friends, and
hopefully, some fun. I’ve been extra diligent about everything, and I’ve been
using these times to organize things in my own life. I look at this like we are
in a season for planting, hopeful that some day in the future we’ll get a harvest
for all the hard work we are doing right now. I’m doing the best I can do, and I
suggest you do the same.
A QUESTION: How are you doing, and how to you interpret what
is going on?
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