I’m not a panic person. Not when other people are panicking.
I understand people think I’m a control person, or a perfectionist. I’m not. I
LOVE it when other, capable people are in charge. And I think most things are, “good
enough” and there is no such thing as perfect.
That’s why I love to fly. I’m
not flying the plane. I can sit back and relax and do other stuff. And if
something goes wrong…not my fault, and probably nothing I can do about it. It’s
also why I loved doing stand-up comedy. Because if I screwed up a punch line, I
could actually say, out loud, “I screwed that up!” and get a bigger laugh (not
that that every happened). And you know what, there’s nothing I can do to stop
corona virus either. I can continue to live exactly the way I’ve ALWAYS lived
in NYC: don’t touch anything without gloves or a sleeve, wash my gloves a lot,
don’t ever touch my face, and the second I walk into my house (which I keep
very clean), I wash my hands.
That’s how I was brought up, and that’s still how
I am. Air on planes has better circulation and filters than any building in NY.
And I’ll tell you something else. From a spiritual
perspective, this is AMAZING. This is a global crisis, which is also a global
opportunity. We know, up to the minute, who is sick everywhere in the world. We
have to work together, one planet, one soul, one support system. It’s not the
USA that’s having issues. It’s tiny towns everywhere in the world. One friend
in Holland suggested this is the perfect time (if we’re all sitting at home) to
video chat and catch up with every friend around the world. We are living
through (and yes, we will LIVE through it) a major event in global history.
That’s really something. I lived through Presidential assassination attempts,
9/11, recessions. Nothing has ever come close to this kind of worldwide
historical significance.
And while this is happening, life still goes on. I have
friends and family dying and fighting to stay alive through cancers and other
illnesses. I have daily chronic pain and illnesses that I still have to focus
on every day. Yes, I won’t see a show or concert for a month, or celebrate my
birthday with 100 friends. Or take a trip to Italy. And I’m VERY lucky that I
have enough money (and toilet paper) to sustain me a month or more. So I don’t
have that concern.
But panicking will not help. Just like the day after 9/11
panicking didn’t help or change the situation in any way.
So try to keep the big picture in mind. This too shall pass.
And we have to support every person across the world. So be nice. Be well. You
may need to borrow some toilet paper.
