It’s March and there is definitely “madness” in the air.
So what is March Madness?
It’s a time when beer production increases by 3.5 million cases.
It’s a time when pizza orders spike 19 percent.
WHY?
Because it’s when a single-elimination tournament of 68 collegiate teams compete in seven rounds for the national championship.
And It’s one of the most exciting events in all of sports.
This year, March Madness has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping our nation. However, another form of March Madness has taken hold.
Every day we hear updates on both the number of people contracting the virus and the number of deaths. Every day we hear about new restrictions to shelter in place, newly imposed nighttime curfews, lack of protective gear for health care professionals and the dearth of hospital beds and ventilators.
On a personal note:
An acquaintance celebrated his 70th birthday this week – not with friends and family toasting his longevity – but by himself, isolated in the intensive care unit of his local hospital. He is hooked-up to a machine called an ECMO, which pumps and oxygenates his blood outside his body, allowing his heart and lungs to rest. He is receiving blood transfusions and hoping soon to receive an experimental drug on national back order. Internal bleeding, elevated liver numbers and an allergic reaction to one of the anti-viral drugs are his new reality. Friends and family wait anxiously at home for updates.
My mother-in-law, who turns 95 in May, is battling on a different front. Living in an assisted living facility, she is isolated, disconnected from not only other residents, but from her one daughter who lives in town and visits regularly. She is also deprived of her caretaker who routinely comes in and helps her with activities of daily living. Close to bedridden, my mother-in-law is dependent on the facility’s staff for her needs – a staff that is, I’m sure, overworked and overstressed. My mother-in-law is battling loneliness and boredom. Instead of planning her 95h birthday celebration, we are concerned for both her emotional and physical well-being.
March 2020 will clearly go down as the most remembered “March Madness” in history. But not for basketball. Possibly for the amount of beer consumed. Possibly for the amount of pizza ordered in. Surely for the bizarre changes in our lives, lifestyles, income, peace of mind and health status since the beginning of the month.
May we all remain steadfast in our health habits, resolute emotionally and thankful and grateful for the blessings in life we still enjoy. And let’s pray that this madness soon runs its course so that we can get back to life as we once knew it just a few short weeks ago.
In the meantime, enjoy the music – brought to my attention by my friend Diane Stull:
https://youtu.be/3eXT60rbBVk
And keep Preserving Your Bloom,
Iris Ruth Pastor