It ain’t over till it’s over. 

I said this recently in answer to a resident’s question about how much longer this coronavirus epidemic will last. Later, I got to thinking about my response and recalled my boyhood baseball hero, Yogi Berra.

Now, before I go any further, I grew up at a time when boys collected, traded and horded baseball trading cards. In fact, I’m somewhat surprised that I still have teeth for all the bubble gum I chewed chasing favorite player’s cards. I remember trading cards with friends on summer afternoons when it got too hot to actually play ball. Since I was usually the youngest and smallest kid in the group, I not only got to play deep right field but also sometimes got taken advantage of in trades – whatever was I thinking trading away that Mickey Mantle card? But, there was one card that I never surrendered no matter what was offered – Yogi Berra.

Now Yogi was truly one of the greatest Yankees of all time despite being a most unlikely big league catcher or any kind of major league player at all. He stood just 5’7, “weighed about 185 pounds and got his nickname as a teenager because he resembled a yogi. He was a notorious bad ball hitter, reaching for pitches outside the strike zone, and yet he won the American League MVP award three times, and played on 10 world championship teams and 14 pennant winners (both major league records) in the course of his 19-year career. 

Though I’m not sure I understood it until later, Yogi Berra truly represented opportunity for me and therein lies what I believe to be the true meaning of his most famous turn of phrase, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Sure, it can be applied to almost any form of competition, baseball, tennis, boxing, etc., but it’s a deceptively simple statement of depth. What he meant was that we need to stay aware, to stay focused and most important, not to give up. Stand for your values, stand up for yourself. 

That message resonates especially now, during a time when life as we once knew it is changed and continues to change to meet the challenge of coronavirus.

First of all… stay aware . Challenge what you hear about the length, depth and breadth of this virus. Remember, this is as much a political event as it is a health care and economic issue.

Next, it’s tough right now. Life has changed, but don’t give up . We will get through this and be stronger for it. 

Stand by your values.  Values are especially important when things get difficult. Those values that motivated and guided you through difficult times in your life will strengthen and guide you through this time also. 

Finally, stand up for yourself . OK no fistfights please, but, let’s face it, cooped up together is likely to generate some misunderstandings. However, standing up for yourself doesn’t mean you have to confront, contradict or challenge every negative comment. Sometimes the very best response is none at all. You can simply walk away. The dignity found in simply walking away is often immeasurable. However, if you must stand up for yourself; choose your words and posture carefully, listen to what’s being said, then carefully and firmly define your position. Most importantly, once done, let it be done.

For now, I am… Just John

“Look but don’t touch. Touch but don’t taste. Taste but don’t swallow.” This is a quote from the movie “The Devil’s Advocate.” The movie revolves around a lawyer from Jacksonville Florida, Keanu Reeves, being tempted by and essentially selling his soul to the devil, Al Pacino. The movie has all kinds of moral implications related to trust, greed, power, arrogance, lust and the battle between good and evil. But it all begins and ends with succumbing to temptation a little at a time without recognizing what you are doing.

Outside of Hollywood, it is still easy to rationalize doing something you know you are not supposed to do by doing it just a little at a time. “What ever you do, don’t eat the apple.” “Well, what if I just look at it but don’t touch it?” The next thing you know, you are sitting there with apple juice running down your chin, the victim of temptation and your own desires. Then you have to face the music and pay for your decisions. The payment is usually on demand and in full, not a little at a time.

About now you may be thinking something like, “Here I sit on safer-at-home isolation and this guy is talking about temptation and consequences; doesn’t he know about the new corona virus?” Well, I was just coming to that part. We have all dealt with social isolation since March 15 ^th. They are projecting we will reach the peak in the number of people who have the virus somewhere between April 21 ^st and early May. So we have 2-4 more weeks before we reach the summit of that bell curve we have all worked so hard to flatten. That doesn’t sound so bad but, remember, once we reach the summit we have to come back down the other side. We have a long way to go before this is over. There will come a day when we will all be back fishing or having a party together at the Michigan building but a lot of water will flow past the pier before that.

It is very tempting to say, “What if I just get together with a few friends? What is wrong with a little poker game? What If I just talk to one person from off campus? What will it hurt to have a visit with my family from out of state, who knows when I will see them again? I just want to eat with my friends one time. What is wrong with that?”

Remember the last paragraph from last month’s article: “The primary things you can do is WASH YOUR HANDS frequently for at least 20 seconds, clean surfaces touched by others, cover your cough or sneeze with a cloth or tissue or your elbow. Keep your six foot distance from others with no group get togethers. Don’t forget why we are doing all of this. You are the person who can do the most to make sure you and those around you stay healthy. Don’t get bored and lose focus.”

As is true for all things, this too shall pass. We have been very fortunate so far and have not faced any cases of the virus and the consequences that come with it at Moosehaven. We have been blessed. But we still have to be mindful of what helped us get here. Thank you for everything you are doing and hang in there. We will make it as easy as we can to stay safer at home.

Bill Tippins

It seems like we are all spinning our wheels ninety to nothing and going nowhere.  During these times, it may be difficult for you to “feel” grateful. Noticed I said, “feel.”  It’s important to be grateful. Studies show when we feel really grateful, we're more likely to show random acts of kindness.  

It’s a difficult time right now. People are lonely and are missing socialization with friends. People feel isolated from everything that’s important to them so it’s crucial that we remember the power o f one small act of kindness.  With every positive behavior, we have the potential to make a difference in someone’s life as well as encourage those around us to act in the same way.

A few things we can all do to change the atmosphere:

A wonderful example of kindness is when a group of our residents decided to make face masks for staff and other residents. They used their time and talent for a cause! Thank you ladies for your act of kindness, hard work and dedication to meet a need!

Another great example of kindness. “A teacher asked one of her young students to tell the class the meaning of "kindness and loving kindness.  A little boy jumped up and said, "Well, if I was hungry and someone gave me a piece of bread that would be kindness; but if they put a little peanut butter and jelly on it, that would be loving kindness."



I think that’s a pretty good example!   May each of us be positive, take notice, be creative and use our talents for the sake of spreading kindness and making a difference in these tough times! 

Stay positive even when if feels like your life is falling apart!

Simply Helen