Houston vs. Covid

It has been roughly 100 days since Houston first shut down because of Covid-19. It honestly feels like it's been over a year. It's really strange to live life right now literally day by day because every moment is "Breaking News". Ever since the City of Houston cancelled the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo for the first time ever, the news is non-stop on my TV. I go to sleep with the news and I wake up to it. If I don't have it on, I get anxious, but if I watch too much of it, I get anxious. It's a lose-lose situation for me, to be honest.Anyway, since the start of this, our new business has managed to survive and thrive. We're not exactly where we want to be, but we are definitely doing a lot better than other businesses around us near and far. We have been blessed to be able to fight through this and stay afloat.At the start of all this, Houston was able to manage the pandemic. EVERYONE I knew did their civic duty and stayed home. I mean, water and toilet paper might have been hard to find, but for the most part we all stayed at home and did our part to "flatten the curve" and "slow the spread." The make-shift ER that Houston built at NRG was even taken down because we didn't need it. Our strong hospital system didn't have the amount of cases that everyone was expecting to have - like the cases in New York City. NYC was bad, really bad. All prayers went out to them after seeing their doctors and nurses pleading for masks & ventilators daily. I cried at least once a day just watching the misery on TV and thanking God that I didn't know anyone personally suffering. It was rough to hear stories about bodies piling up in empty hospital rooms, hallways and even refrigerated trucks because there was no room for the dead bodies anywhere. No one was getting buried fast enough. A mass grave had to be dug up for the unfortunate. It is truly unbelievable that we actually lived through that.Now here we are. New York was very strict about their lockdown because they had no choice. They are just now starting to open up their city because their cases have gone down and stabilized. They are slowly starting to go back to normal, but at a cautious rate. No one wanted visitors from NY, but oh how the tables have turned. They are probably one of the safest Covid cities in America right now. Good job, Governor Cuomo!As of today, Houston is now quickly becoming the worse Covid city in America. We were one of the first few states to open and I called it. I knew we would be the guinea pig group of "this is what not to do." I have known 3 people in pretty much a week span test positive, and I was exposed to 2 out of those 3 people. The first time I tested negative, but now I've been home waiting to get my test results for the second time. I lost my sense of smell on Sunday, so of course I panicked. This is how easy this spreads, I don't even go out because my personal health can make or break my business.Everyone I know so far who has gotten Covid have not been hit seriously, which is GREAT, but the affects of it all is truly felt. See, here's the thing... what people don't realize is that just because you have a high percentage rate of surviving this nasty thing, the residual affects are detrimental. Everything is a domino effect. YOU might not see it personally, but your selfish behavior might cause the harm or even death of 50 people. Houston has the LARGEST medical system IN THE WORLD and all of the ICU's are either close to or at 100% capacity.... this all happened within a week, guys.I don't understand why wearing a mask is controversial.I don't understand why bar owners are allowing establishments to be at 110% capacity.I don't understand why people are still throwing parties.I don't understand why you're STILL positive, asymptomatic and going around like you're normal.This is what happens when your behavior is selfish and reckless during the time of a pandemic, ESPECIALLY when your city has the highest amount of cases. THERE IS NO CURE RIGHT NOW!!

• You've tested positive twice, but you've been asymptomatic. Yes, go ahead with life as if nothing happened because you feel great. Go ahead and shop... because you might kill that guy's mom in front of you at HEB.
• You tested negative, and pretty much everyone you know did too so it's ok to still throw that pool party. YOU might not end up in the ICU, but your friend's brother might be on a ventilator next week because "no one had Covid at the party."
• You live in America, land of the free... no one can tell you to wear a mask. It's ok though, don't wear one to the restaurant because no one can force you to do anything. Just don't be shocked that the owner became infected, had to close for a week and was never able to financially recover because they were sick, so now their restaurant is closed for good.
• Your club has been closed for a month, Governor Abbot gave you the green light to open. Awesome, fill it to capacity so you can infect as many people in Houston as possible. Those people can then can take their diseased ass home and give it to their grandparents so that grandma and grandpa can experience a painful death.

This shit is real, folks - who cares what Donald Trump says... people are literally dying and losing their businesses. What it comes down to is that we've lost respect for life. This is a fucking pandemic with absolutely no known cure. All the smartest doctors and scientists around the world, have been working on this for MONTHS 24/7 and they still have no answers... yet your selfish ass wants to go about life as if you can live tomorrow. Yes, you probably will, but will your mom?... your sister?... your cousin?... your best friend?... your friend's business?...Stay home guys - keep yourself and everyone else healthy... and for God's sake wear a fucking mask, your breath stinks anyways! 

Hello, 2020.

So this is our current state of affairs to this date:

• Over 2 million people world wide have been infected with COVID-19 and about a third of that is in America.
• From the over 700,000 cases in America, over 40k deaths.
• We are entering into our 5th week nation wide lock down and people are starting to protest.
• Dr. Fauci (Director of NIAID) and Dr. Birx leading the Corona Virus Task Force emphasize every day that lifting lock down efforts too early is bad news for America.
• There's not enough testing to even control the spread.
• American's are suffering: millions have lost their jobs, small businesses have closed and will not recover, healthcare workers are risking their lives everyday to save people, those on their death beds can't even be with their families, depression is on the rise.
• There is still no known cure or vaccination with all the smartest doctors and scientists working 24 hours on this - NO ONE STILL knows how to fix this.

If you need a sign from God to start praying, this is your sign.Despite all this chaos, there is a silver lining, at least for me. I've been able to rest for an entire week and have nothing to worry about. The store is a little slower now, so I'm able to work and focus on things I've been putting off. I can sleep more and best of all, I've been able to watch TV.My shows I've completed through this time:

• McMillions (HBO)
• Succession (HBO)
• Tiger King (Netflix)
• Love is Blind (Netflix)
• Ozark (Netflix)
• The Food that Built America (Hulu)

There is great entertaining TV right now. Suck it up, stay home, stay healthy and stop putting the rest of the world at risk. Listen to the experts & pray we all get through this soon.

How to Manage the Crazy

If you asked me to describe my life in one word right now, it would be: CRAZY.My days are so unpredictable, even if I have everything planned out by the hour, it doesn't matter, there is always something new to throw it off. My to-do list won't stop growing and I've been experiencing stress headaches, I have never gotten those in my life.It's hard to stay grounded when everything seems to heighten your emotions and changes your mood in an instant. The past 2 years I've practiced to RESPOND rather than REACT, but damn, Center Point Energy has me reacting like a 2 year old who missed their nap.I'm not going to lie, I'm tired, but to be honest.... I love this shit.I love the pressure of the challenges (event though at times it might not seem like it). Overcoming obstacles is my forte. My strength is perseverance.My story has been building to this point and the plot just got that much more interesting. If this were easy, there'd be more people doing it. I'm proud of my endurance. The strength I've gained from all of this will only lead to a greater success.The end game; that's what's worth fighting for.For those of you going through the struggles this is how you endure:

1. Surround yourself with your strongest support system, you'll need them when you're knocked down. Don't choose people who will tell you "I told you so," - pick wisely! Choose those who will stick out their hand, help you wipe off the dust (and tears) and then shove you in the back to keep going.
2. Keep your eye on the prize. Figure out WHY you are doing this in the first place and always keep that in the forefront of your mind. AT ALL TIMES.
3. Be quick to forgive yourself when you've made a mistake. Don't dwell too long on the fuck-ups, fix it fast and move along... there's still so much more to do!
4. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You are NOT an expert on EVERYTHING. Let others do some of the work and thinking for you, because at the end of the day, you have a shit ton of other stuff to handle.
5. Recognize your weaknesses fast and build a team that compliments it. You will work so much more efficiently.
6. Listen to your intuition and learn to not second guess it. That weird feeling in the pit of your stomach, that's real! Pay attention to your body cues and how it makes you feel... that's what they mean when they say: "Listen to your gut instinct." It's always 100% accurate!
7. Take a break. If you're sleepy, nap. If you need a moment to self-care, do it! It's ok to step away for a minute, that 15-20 minutes or even a whole day is still productive. There's no point in working hard if you can't even think straight or are too tired to make a decision. Your tasks aren't going anywhere, but your mental health can deteriorate fast if you don't tend to it.
8. PUSH!! When the going gets tough: Pray Until Something Happens. Yes, there is a higher being, ask them for help! Don't be afraid to ask for prayers as well, people LOVE to pray for each other.
9. Get a dog. If you're allergic, find a dog you're not allergic to. There's nothing better than coming home from a long day of work to a creature that is excited to see you and gives you all the kisses for no reason other than that they love you. They won't argue with you, judge you, or call you out. They'll simply ask for food and then sleep peacefully at your feet. Coco has gotten rid of about 95.8% of my anxiety.
10. Most importantly... HAVE FUN! If you can't find joy in the current project you're working on, then give it up. There's no point in going on if you can't find peace and laughter in the process, that just simply means this isn't want you really want to do. As tough as things may get, there are times to celebrate, and if you can't find them.... then find something else to do - this isn't it, Sis.

Yes, life is hard.Yes, reaching goals take a lot of work.I'm not quite there yet, but trust me... I will be and it will all be worth it.