Hello in March – Tara is back. 😀

Well, every newspaper headline and media outlet is covering basically one topic these days – the Coronavirus. So, why not put in my two cents worth as well?

One of my litmus tests for people is whether or not I would want to be stranded on a life boat with them. I find that most people either completely panic in crisis situations or respond calmly and coolly. I am extremely calm in difficult and stressful situations. My highly reactive response comes once danger is no longer present. They say people have a ‘fight or flight’ response to threats – I am definitely a fighter, but calmly. 😉 My brain quickly goes into a trance-like state that looks for solutions to overcome problems rather than reactively worry. Therefore, if I am around people who panic, I put them in the “throw them overboard” category of my life boat. 😛

On a scale of one-to-ten in panic over the global situation, I would say I am about a three. I am not completely un-phased by the situation, but I’m also not worried about getting or giving the virus. What does worry me is other people and their behaviors. Take for example what will go down in history as ‘The Great Toilet Paper Scare of 2020’ – it was comical how people (and still are) stocking up on toilet paper and paper towels. I bemusedly watched as people filled their carts at Costco with a year or two years’ worth of toilet paper. Where are they storing it all in their little Japanese homes?

So, I mentioned to my husband, who is like me but more of a two on the scale mentioned above, that we should at least consider stocking food items, because I am concerned about this island nation running out of imported supplies now that flights are being cancelled, etc. Many people do not make the connection that almost every airplane carries cargo of supplies and products for our purchasing convenience. Without the flights, this will start to disappear quickly.

Still, if everyone remains calm and works together to make the best of a bad situation, then we will all survive. These kinds of crisis situations reveal who people, societies, and nations really are at their core: united or divided.

Which are you?

Well, do stay safe, healthy out there. But, most of all, in the words of Ellen DeGeneres – “Be kind to one another.”

【英語表現、これを覚えよう！】

two cents worth 

– This refers to giving an opinion without being asked. The low value of 2 pennies/cents is to humble oneself since providing an opinion that wasn’t asked for might be considered rude or arrogant.

e.g. The best part of having a friend for so long as that I can give her my two cents worth any time on any topic and she still listens.

litmus test

– In technical terms, this is a scientific test to discover something acidity levels. In metaphorical terms, this is a test on whether or not a person is worth investing time in to build a relationship.

e.g. He likes to ask people odd questions as a kind of intellectual litmus test.

fight or flight response

– This is how one responds to threats or sense of danger to one’s person.

e.g. My husband says he is a lover not a fighter, so his fight or flight response is to run away.

フルーツフルイングリッシュで英語表現の楽しさ感じてください 。初めての方には英作文添削チケット2回分をプレゼント。
「無料英語テスト800問（解説付）」メルマガも大人気。今すぐチェック！

Tara

アメリカ育ちで日本で９年間英語を教えた経験あり。日本以外にもAbu Dhabiでも英語を教えていたベテランの先生です。 ヨガを教える資格も持っていてとてもアクティブで、「諦めずに頑張って」とモチベーションをくれる指導スタイルで人気。
座右の銘は「We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit」。