Have you seen the social media posts that are relating 2020 to the game Jumanji? I can’t think of a better way to describe this year! But, do you know what’s cool? In the movie Jumanji, the characters survive! The characters formed relationships and worked together to get out of that frightening place.
Are we in a frightening place right now? I would say in many ways yes. We are living in a pandemic. We are fighting a virus we know little about. We don’t have a vaccine. Spikes in active COVID-19 cases are occurring in various places. We don’t know who is contagious or who has been exposed (probably unknowingly). Just going to get our groceries is risky.
And the pandemic is just one element to the frightening equation! We have conflict amongst ourselves after the tragedy involving George Floyd. There have been riots and demonstrations held widespread in our country-even in some of the smallest counties in our state.
I do just want to be able to yell “Jumanji” and be back in a better place (just like in the movie), but sadly it’s not the simple. Again, how did the characters get out of Jumanji? They worked together! They formed friendships! That’s exactly how we can respond to get ourselves in a better place.
So, what does that look like? I have a few suggestions. Wear your mask. I personally need to do a better job of this. If you are wearing a reusable mask, you can launder it in your washing machine. Cloth face masks should be washed after each use. Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the face covering. You can dry your cloth masks in your dryer using the hottest setting or you can lay it flat to dry.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks. If surfaces are dirty, clean them. Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection. Then, use a household disinfectant.
So, if we all take these precautions (and others that have been recommended by the CDC), perhaps we can beat this pandemic. It takes working together though. We have to be all in (just like in Jumanji). We can be kind to each other. Put differences aside. Once we come out of this pandemic, and I firmly believe we will, I hope we can all say we have developed positive relationships with others (again, just like in Jumanji).