I have been racking my brain trying to see the macroeconomic effect that the COVID-19 pandemic will have in the United States but also on a global level. I must admit when the coronavirus hysteria began I thought it was an overreaction to get the stock market to tank so the elites and the ultra-wealthy could take profits and exit from an overpriced stock market. However, as with anything I do not understand I began researching COVID-19. The more research I did, the more concerned I became and the more I realized how financially and emotionally devastating this pandemic will be. Even if you believe it to be a hoax, it will still be devastating for you as well. As of Wednesday, April 1st I believe we are just entering the eye of the health crisis and things will get tragically worse from here on out for weeks before we flatten the curve. But even after we flatten the curve and the number of cases and deaths start to go down the next crisis will have taken root and will begin to rear its ugly head. This will be a financial crisis. Unlike the 2008 financial crisis, this one will be much worse and will last much longer. The 2 trillion dollars in stimulus money the fed is currently printing is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the financial damage our great country is going to be facing in the months to come. If you look at the big picture and not listen to people's well-wishing speeches you should be able to easily see that our economy will not open up like a flood gate, it will open up like turning on the faucet to a 50-foot water hose after a Michigan winter. There may be a trickle of business whenever we get the “all clear” but many of us will still be cautiously frozen and continue to self-quarantine long after any official “it's safe to congregate again message. It will be months before businesses see any significant foot traffic and until then many employees will still be laid off and out of work. Sadly many businesses will not survive the pandemic. The economy will be strangled by the financial crisis pandemic that will hit on a global scale. The U.S economy is not the only economy affected by COVID-19, economies around the world have come to a halt and they will not start up nearly as fast as the capitalistic society of America. A side dish to the financial crisis will be a Real Estate crisis. Due to the number of those who are and will be unemployed, and the number of small businesses that do not survive there will be millions of unpaid residential and commercial mortgages alike that will go unpaid. This is surely going to lead us to a Real estate crisis but unlike 2008 this will be on a global scale. Remember, everything the United States is going through right now, the rest of the world is too. There will be no bouncing back from these series of crisis’. The events we are currently experience and the events that are still to come will change our lives forever. For some this will birth opportunity, for some, it will bring their demise. The last crisis but certainly not least is the emotional crisis. This is the one I struggle with the most. As a loving son who is accustomed to having lunch with his Mother which happens to be a resident in an assisted living facility, in the memory care unit it's heartbreaking daily to not be able to see her. I can't help but wonder if she will still recognize me when I am finally able to see her again. I want to call and check on her regularly but I know how busy the nurses and CNA’s are on regular days, so I can't even imagine how busy they all must be now. When I do call my anxiety level is so high I shake because I am terrified to hear about someone being sick. The thought alone leads me down a path of thinking about families that are saying goodbye to loved ones right now and how painful it must be to not be in the room with their loved one during their last minutes before their soul departs their body. It brings tears to m eyes to think of my mother in a room without any of the people she loves by her side and for the thousands of people who have already experienced this. It breaks my heart to think of the family members who will not be able to provide their loved ones with a proper homegoing celebration and for family members who will not get to see their loved one one last time. These unfortunate events will surely lead to bouts of depression and mental illnesses for many of us and lead to what I believe will be an emotional crisis in America. With all of the craziness that has gone on in the last 4 years, it could be said that we were already facing an emotional crisis. However, the series of events that are sure to play out over the next few years will most definitely push many of us to the brink of something terrible.
Whether you believe it to be a hoax or an overreaction, either way, your life, and mine will be affected physically, emotionally, mentally and financially by COVID-19 for the unforeseeable future.
Watching my Dads health decline over a two year span and rapidly decline during the last year of his life made me realize how important a role our good or bad health plays in the lives of our loved ones. After my Dad had fallen and broke his collar bone we were sitting in the Rehabilitation Dr.'s office and the Doctor asked my Dad, "LeRoy, what is it you miss doing the most". I was certain my Dad was going to say golfing or fishing which are two of his most beloved pastimes. My Dads answer without hesitation was "walking, I miss going for walks" was his response. The thing most of us take for granted was the one thing my Dad wanted to do more than anything else. My Fathers passing taught me so many life lessons and was life changing for me. My views towards so many things have changed and my life, including my health is much better than it has been in over 20+ years.
One of the main takeaways from my Dads passing was how important our diet is to our health. My Dad was diagnosed with diabetes in the late 90's and it would eventually leave him partially blind, he would suffer two strokes and cause End-stage renal failure forcing him to go to dialysis 4 hours a session3 times a week. We are told that disease is hereditary and we accept that as the truth. While there may be some diseases that are genetic, many are passed along throughout generations through cooking and eating habits. If you grew up eating processed and fatty foods, chances are you are cooking and eating the same type of foods and passing those unhealthy habits down to your children. The good news is, its not too late to break that generational curse. I hope my time in writing this blog is not in vane and it inspires someone to become more mindful of their health and well being.
Below is a link to an great article that anyone thinking about or already in the process of changing their cooking and eating habits should read.
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2017/10/03/studies-show-what-happens-to-your-heart-when-you-go-v...