Free Staters, have you considered what you would do if you were governor of New Hampshire right now? Because I may well one day be, I have, and I understand why Sununu has issued this “stay-at-home” “order,” currently effective 5PM today, March 27 through May 4, 2020. That’s not to say he is right from a moral, legal, or Constitutional perspective, just that I geddit, and am willing to adopt a “watch and wait” attitude for now.
My takeaway from this week’s press conferences, sitting in on calls with Sununu, reading the various orders, and reading posts by his staff, is the following: “The Control Freaks Who Only Understand Coercion Are Demanding We Issue an Order for People to Stay-at-Home,” “I don’t want to do that, but I am scared of making the wrong call and thousands of people dying,” “Here, I know! I’ll play both sides like the excellent politician I am. I’ll give The Control Freaks the order, but also tell The Sanes that ‘this is NOT a shelter-in-place order’ and, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, ask to add your business to the ‘essential business’ list,” and, finally, importantly, “we’re not calling out the National Guard to force people back into their homes.”
Yet.
For now, I am employing a “Keep Calm, But Carry Arms” approach. Not much will change for me. I already work from home. I already shop predominantly online. I already stockpile toilet paper. I already take long isolated walks in the woods. But I will be much less accommodating if, at any stage, for any reason, the population of New Hampshire is ordered to “shelter-in-place.” If martial law is declared, if habeas corpus is suspended in America, I doubt I will comply.
In the meantime, I suggest we use these Stranger Days to:
Volunteer: You can sign up for official NH volunteer programs to help during the coming weeks here, or, like my husband and I have been doing, you can go out and do neighborhood litter pickups, reach out to infirm neighbors to make sure they have what they need, and generally be a decent human being–from six feet away (or, wear a mask and gloves)!
Get healthy: If the possibility of getting sick in the future is now a “legitimate” reason to suppress millions of citizens’ rights, shutter and destroy businesses, and crash the economy, let’s use this time to get healthy. Stop eating carbs. Stop eating sugar. If this sounds too hard, try approaching it this way: Cook from scratch until this is over and eat every meal together at the table until then. I bet this simple step will noticeably improve your life!
Turn in early and get 8 hours of sleep: Our brains detox while we sleep, keeping us healthy and sane. Sleep deprivation is a recognized form of torture, so if you aren’t sleeping well, you are… literally *torturing* your body and mind, which might explain some of the serious health problems in this country. Honestly, if The Control Freaks really wanted to make an impact on the health of Americans, let’s get some SWAT police flash-banging down doors to ensure you are getting enough sleep! (Please don’t do that.)
Try something new every day: Use this opportunity to foster curiosity–curiosity is the antidote to stupid. Take a virtual museum tour in a foreign country. Watch all the TED Talks about a subject you are passionate about (I want to learn more about the brain). Learn to cook or bake something new. Last night, I made 90 second microwave paleo mug buns to go with our Broccoli Cheddar soup, and slathered in butter, these rolls were delish! (I’ll post the recipe later.)
Turn off your TV: The mainstream media wants your attention… it’s how they make money. They don’t care about your feelings. They don’t care about making you anxious. They don’t care about scaring you. In fact, the more anxious and scared you are, the more money they make. If you want to improve your life, the #1 thing you can do is TURN OFF THE NEWS. Make this change permanent; I have, and it radically improved my life!
Meditate: No time like the present! There are a slew of YouTube videos of guided meditations, or apps like Waking Up or Calm that can be downloaded straight to your phone. Meditation is something you can even start practicing as a family. Ten minutes a day can make a vast difference and set your kids up for success in life. Start today!
Encrypt your communications: Make sure you install encryption messaging like Signal or Telegram in order to securely communicate with the loved ones in your life.
Live! Free people move freely. If you need to go about your business, be considerate and make an effort to comply with safety instructions, but also, while keeping things in perspective, remember YOU are the captain of YOUR LIFE and you, and only you control your life, the government does not own you. Use this time to take charge of your life, grow, and change for the better!