HJNO Sep/Oct 2020

EDITOR’S DESK 8 SEP / OCT 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Dianne Hartley dhartley@healthcarejournalno.com Louisianians are used to facingmother nature’s chal- lenges. Hurricane season looms every year around football season. We watch the cone develop in the Gulf with the same interest as a football game when LSU is on offense. Will it advance, go right or left… the way it plays out will determine our fortune, often at the expense of our neighbors a state or two away. When flood waters rise, we escape, and either move- on or rebuild, reminding ourselves that the old tim- ers knew where to build, through trial and error. And perhaps we are pressing development a bit too far, if we aren’t ready to have a pirogue handy when the waters inevitably rise. But, we always come together during these storms… often with the same passion, precision and guts it takes those Tigers to play on a Saturday evening against a worthy SEC opponent. It is the nature of living in the Bayou State. We are told we can rely on outside powers, but we are often disappointed when we do. We rely on ourselves and our neighbors. We eat well, laugh easily and laissez les bons temps rouler . So, when SARS-CoV-2 came to Louisiana, it of course spread easily. Our culture is one where you stop, visit, and catch-up. We really don’t need Facebook, nor did our parents or theirs. We are close knit. I trust my aging parents will be treated well when they go out, we pat kids on the heads and give hugs.*We enjoy the exchange. And we enjoy a good time…without fear. Louisiana is an old place, you can tell by the beards in the trees (well, that is what I always thought about them) and it has lived under a lot of flags COVID-19 is just one more of nature’s forces, disguised as a pan- demic, to hit the area. Our people have been through them before. Our beautiful graveyards tell the stories of many such trials…and if you listen on a quiet night, sometimes you can hear the voices of the past, telling us to enjoy the moment, watch the sunset, listen to the stories of the old folks, be kind, be generous, and adapt. Our time is now…do not waste it. Fear has its place…but if it doesn’t make you strong, it is making you weak. It is not impossible to outwit a silent but deadly enemy. Be smart. But don’t lose your soul in the process. You may want it back someday. And time, it seems, is very difficult to reverse. “Our time is now… Do not waste it.” *We will figure out how to do this while social distancing, I amsure. But let’s not lose the social while distancing. I am working on smiling withmy eyes while wearing a mask…and find myself waving more. Folks seem almost starved for interaction. We need it.