Standing at the top of the hill of another week, thinking about whether to get in the wagon and begin the ride. It doesn’t look like a bad week as far as I can see, but damn, you just never know what’s going to jump out at you.
Two things are on my worry list at the top of this week. The first is this H7N9 Bird flu outbreak in China. To date there have been 13 deaths out of 60 cases; that’s an alarming 21.7% mortality rate. The good news is that as of this date there is no evidence of human to human transmission and also that China has been more forthcoming with reporting the outbreak to the World Health Organization. SARS was only ten years ago and I well remember not only the death and illness it brought but also the fear and panic. I was a hospital chaplain at the time and we had a few SARS patients. Staff suddenly became very quiet. Gone was the usual banter and chit chat. Of course we were all shielded and masked and gloved and gowned which were at least significant visual barriers to communication. All those face masks uncovered a surprising number of very skilled lip readers who otherwise quite deaf. I trust that there are more than a few preparedness plans that have been dug out of storage and put within arms’ reach.
The other thing on my worry list is North Korea. April 15 was touted as the day the leadership just might ‘walk their talk’ and launch a missile. So far the founder’s birthday celebrations have not included such fireworks. Beyond the general global fears of war, I have a mother’s fear. My son serves in the Canadian Army.
I can actually do nothing about either of these worries in my week. I can do nothing to control their outcomes for good or ill. The best thing I can do is get in my wagon and push off into the week. At least I get to steer my wagon.
And besides – it’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood!
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