I'm crushing on Governor Cuomo

A poll came out last week showing that Gov. Cuomo's job performance approval rating is 71%.  Two months ago it was 36%.  So I'm not the only one who has had an abrupt change of heart.

It's easy to see why.  The Governor is delivering a master class in crisis communications before our very eyes. When we locked down on March 12, I was in a state of absolute panic.  I had stopped eating and sleeping, lost focus and couldn't stop obsessing about the news.  And with Trump babbling about hoaxes and drinking Lysol, watching the news was not helping.

But then I started tuning into Gov. Cuomo's daily briefing, and I could breathe again.  He starts his briefing with the most recent statistics.  Then he cheerleads, cajoles and scolds depending upon which is called for as he guides us through the pandemic.   He also spends a great deal of time trying to explain to Federal officials what they should and could be doing.  And sometimes they even take his advice.

Kudos also goes to his uber-competent staff.  When someone asks them a question during the Q&A that they don't have an answer to, they follow-up with the answer the next day.  Once when an expert explained something, Cuomo turned to the audience after and said "Did you understand that?  Because I sure didn't."  The expert rephrased.

The governor is very careful to distinguish facts from opinions, and points out that opinions are not facts and that while people are entitled to their own opinions they are not entitled to their own facts.  No fake news allowed here.

But he also spends a considerable amount of time talking about his own family and how this crisis is affecting them and their relationships.  And when he does, his love for them shines through.  Because "his mother is not expendable" he created Matilda's Law to protect seniors.  And I am not surprised that when his brother Chris was hallucinating during his bout of Covid-19, he saw his big bro as a good fairy trying to make the virus disappear.

Because at the end of the day, what Governor Cuomo has done is to reassure me and everyone else at the epicenter of the pandemic, that we have a steady, competent leader at the helm who can get us through this difficult time.  And that's why 78% of people surveyed said they trusted the governor to determine when it will be safe for businesses to reopen.  (Vielkind, 2020)

Others would do well to follow his example.

Vielkind, J. (2020, April 27)  Big Majority of New York Voters Back Coronavirus Lockdown Measures.  wsj.com.  retrieved May 6, 2020, from  https://www.wsj.com/articles/large-majority-of-new-york-voters-back-face-coverings-in-public-poll-shows-11587987790

My new normal: Buying a spool of thread online

One of the great things about living in NYC is that we still have retail stores.  Or at least we did.  It's hard to say what will happen post-Covid, because so many of them were so severely undercapitalized to begin with. 

And then there's the fact that the Republicans gamed the bailout money to favor their buddies.  How exactly did the Lakers - a $4.4. billion dollar operation qualify for a small business loan in the first place?  More importantly would they, Shake Shack, and Ruth's Chris have returned the money they got if the press hadn't outed them?  I doubt it.  COVID-19 has made it clear just how selfish Americans are.  Especially the rich ones. (Hansen, 2020)

So will the specialty sewing stores in NYC reopen someday?  Maybe.  But I needed some thread now for homemade masks and online was my only option.  I found a wonderful company named Thread Art through Walmart and few days later my thread arrived.

Now the question is what will I do the next time I need thread?  Online or in-store?  Quite frankly, I will go back to the stores once they reopen.  It's easier to pick the correct color in person. :-)

But some of my other new habits may stick.  Research says that it takes three months to learn a new habit.  And I suspect that it will be at least three months before we are able to move on from COVID-19.  So some of those new habits are likely to become permanent, although it's difficult to predict which ones.

It seems unlikely that toilet paper sales will continue to be up 65% forever.  But it's equally unlikely that sales of cleaning products will go down to where they once were.  Having tasted the convenience of ordering online, many will never buy their toiletries in person again.

Whatever does happen, one thing is clear, things won't go back to the way they were.  We all need to accept that and move on - even if it means buying things that cost less than $5 online from now on.

Hansen, S. (2020, April 28)  Potbelly, Shake Shack, The Lakers: Here Are All The Companies Returning PPP Money After Public Backlash.  forbes.com.  Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/04/28/here-are-all-the-companies-returning-ppp-money-after-public-backlash/#20cfcc2b299c

No. Worrying won't help.

As we all try to deal with the reality of COVID-19, it's difficult not to be afraid.  Does it help to know that our brains are hard wired to focus on the negative?  

Research shows that our strongest memories are those that are associated with emotion.  And that negative emotions are more powerful and more memorable than positive ones.

Since the primary function of emotion is to guide action and plan for future occurrences, it makes sense that we would remember the bad more than the good since we don't want to repeat our mistakes. (Kensinger, 2007)

But, there's more to it than just that.

Thanks to our preference for using comparisons in decision-making, we are also subject to "concept creep." (Levari, 2018)

That's when we continually lower the bar for what's making us worry.  So while at first you might have been worried if you didn't wear a mask when you went out, now with the continual onslaught of bad news, you might be too worried to go out at all.  Despite the fact that nothing has actually changed.  Because what has changed is your belief about what constitutes dangerous behavior. And that operates on a sliding scale.

A while back, my brother spent the afternoon with Tom Lehrer, and Tom told him this joke...  

A man on death row was on his way to be executed.  As he and the guard walked down the hallway together, the guard asked him "Are you worried?"  And the prisoner replied "Why? Would it help?"

Every time I start to worry I remember that joke, take a deep breath, and soldier on. Give it a try.  It might help. :-)

Kensinger, E. (2007) Negative Emotion Enhances Memory Accuracy.  Association for Psychological Science.  Retrieved May 30, 2016, from https://www2.bc.edu/elizabeth-kensinger/Kensinger_CD07.pdf

Levari, D. (2018, June 28)  Why your brain never runs out of problems to find.  theconversation.com.  Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/why-your-brain-never-runs-out-of-problems-to-find-98990