"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6,7 (NIV)
I’ve only seen the panic buying online from posted videos
or heard it from the news. The fear of being confined to homes for a long time
somehow drives everyone to go to their stores and buy more than what they need.
I have never experienced the chaos until this morning when I needed to get my
usual needs.
The streets leading to Sam’s Club were eerily quiet with
only very few cars I could count with only the fingers of one hand. Compared to
pre-Coronavirus scare when I always needed to plan way ahead and try to beat the traffic
on the freeways, but even on side streets were no exemption.
The hours were changed. Two hours later than what it would
have been opened for those who paid extra for club memberships in order to get in
early and avoid the rush of shoppers. I liked it only because on summertime
when the heat was unbearable, I could manage to go way early and not get
bothered by the hot sun. I was shocked to see many cars already parked six minutes after the club was just opened. It was easy for me to find a
spot but at the corner of my eyes, I thought I saw a very long line of what
looked like miles long. There was a policeman watching, standing in between the doors
while a sales associate was guarding the opening tightly and not letting in
anyone until he gave the cue. Everyone was calm and patient despite the ordeal.
But I didn’t want to wait in line and get sick doing so.
I headed to the other grocery store, Sprouts, six miles
away to check and see what I could get since I might need to also replenish my
food stock. I was fooled to see how well stocked it was still when only I saw
the first shelf of cosmetics. Going aisle to aisle while assessing what I could
use “instead” than the “usual” which was already gone, I was like in the movie I
had seen long time ago of people panicking and hoarding goods. Sadly, even
fighting over items. The pastas were gone. Tomato sauce, frozen pizza, no
chickens, no bread… I could go on and on… There I was picking what remained
which was okay than not to be able to eat anything.
I found myself exchanging texts with my husband and son about the scarcity of foods but somehow, our spirits remained joyful. Now wouldn’t be the right
time to be picky whether that bread has a lot of salt or sugar. I grabbed a
well wrapped Irish Soda Bread and thought how good it would be with butter.
There was still hope, I texted my hubby and son with a smiley face. I grabbed
the last pad thai noodles that I was thinking of subbing for other soup that
needed noodles. "No chickens!!!" I told my hubby to which he texted, "Get the beef ribs. That's still good!" It was a private joke of eating the foods we were trying to avoid to try to eat healthier then. Now??? No time to think about cholesterol and saturated fats!
I was aware of some people trying to distance themselves from
others. Or from me. But the process was still smooth despite…
 | ||||
| no bread |
 |
| another empty shelf |
 |
| no chicken left |
“I got it!!” the
lady in front of me told me when I attempted to hold her stuff on the conveyor
belt stucked, seemingly a bit annoyed.
“Okay,” I replied without adding an apology with my
desire to help her out. I was thinking I wasn't sick but the paranoia was starting to get intense among some!
On my way out, all I could think of was to thank God.
This was only a glimpse of what would come. Of worse scenarios yet... still wouldn’t
be the apocalypse. There are still a lot not known about coronavirus being new.
But people forget that many also get sick from flu or other viruses. Nothing
beats the old way of having short fingernails and a proper handwashing with
soap. Back of my mind? I was thinking more of the spiritual battle and what was not seen regarding this matter. But I know all I need is to remain trusting in God alone and stay strong with the power He gives.
I know that in these trying times, I must not let kindness, compassion, love and understanding
be washed away from this wave of confusion, fear and a lot of “unknowns”.
