torispencerkeene-blog

[torispencerkeene-blog]

Listen up!

You see a post like this? Where OP might hurt/kill themselves? You hit that button that I circled

Hit that.

Click Suicide or Self-harm Concern

Yes.

Fill in the rest of it, and hit submit. The "content you reported" will fill itself in

Tumblr will follow up and help them.

Warning: this is only for mobile. If anyone knows how to do this for desktop, please add it!

This could SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE.

YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO REBLOG THIS.

I DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF IT DOESN'T GO WITH YOUR BLOG'S THEME.

And yes, REBLOG. Liking does no shit at all. This isn't ig.

You reblog, people see it. You don't, people don't see it. This shit's that simple.

This could save someone's life. It's not a joke.

[torispencerkeene-blog]

What “Black Lives Matter” Really Means...

So, you’ve probably heard the phrase Black Lives Matter a lot in recent months. Maybe, a lot in the last few years. And around that are other movements. Blue lives matter. All lives matter. Maybe you are a little confused as to what the movement is about, and what it means for White Lives. 

The first time I remember hearing the phrase Black Lives Matter, several years ago, I certainly didn’t understand. Instantly I responded (on Facebook) with, of course black lives matter. All lives matter. I was frustrated because I felt like it was a given. 

It wasn’t. 

Now, I’ve told the story many times of my first understanding of racism, when as a six or seven year old, I was holding hands with my friend when someone spit on her. She was also six or seven. I didn’t understand, but she did. After it was explained to me, I was horrified. 

Now, so many years later, I watch in continued frustration and anger as it is proven again and again that the lives of colored people in our country are waved off, as though they don’t actually count as people. So many are up in arms about damage to their stores. 

What about the damage to people? 

What strikes me the most is an old AFV clip that I used to think was hilarious. A boy accidentally stole a cup (I think from a restaurant) and his mother threatened to call the police on him. He begs and pleads with her, crying out “but I’m your son!” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=Q5XuPIy0SgI

The whole thing seems overly dramatic. It made all of us laugh when we saw it. And then I saw it again about four months ago. I think I was just watching videos on YouTube, just trying to kill time (as being stuck inside can get very boring) and I happened across it. 

But I didn’t laugh this time. As I watched, I thought of names like George Floyd, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Walter Scott and so many others I just cannot remember them all. I thought about the conversations black parents have with their children that we don’t have to have. I thought about how many people in our country hate black people for no other reason than the color of their skin. And I thought, that isn’t funny. It’s cruel. 

Before I can tell you what Black Lives Matter really means, I have to tell you what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that police officers’ lives don’t matter. It doesn’t mean that all people don’y matter. It doesn’t mean that the black people will try and oppress the white people. And it doesn’t mean that they think they are more important than white people. 

Black lives matter, simply means, black lives matter. That’s it. That’s all they want you to know. It means that when they get pulled over by the police, they DESERVE the same treatment as white people. It means they deserve the same treatment from the bank, from the local, state, and federal governments. It means they have the rights to vote, to run for office, and to protest unfair treatment. It means, simply, that they are people too. 

Black people are only different from white people in America in one respect. They are not treated equally. They are treated like they don’t matter. So, if you’ve been confused about what all this means, that is your answer. 

Consider all the privileges that you have had since birth (rich or poor). You have equal education to what your neighbors children receive. You have equal representation on juries. You have no officers assuming you are guilty of a crime just because you happen to be black in a bad neighborhood. You have a voice, and can use it. 

Think about how you would feel if you didn’t have those privileges. If you didn’t have them, would you feel like you don’t matter? Would you fight to receive the same treatment as your neighbors? Hell yes, you would.

Yes, blue lives matter. Yes, all lives matter. That has never been up for debate. The only debate here is whether black lives matter, and I am using my voice to say they do, and until every one knows it, I will not stop using my voice to fight for them. 

[torispencerkeene-blog]

Bullying is never okay. 

You can’t win by doing nothing. You can’t win fighting fire with fire. You can’t win by taking the high road. It makes you feel powerless. 

Across our nation there is so much devastation caused by bullying, especially on social media. People have taken their own lives because they could no longer take the constant harassment. 

Think before you speak (or type). 

Facts that adults don’t tell you about bullying

- Communication doesn’t work on bullies. Telling a bully they’re making you feel bad is the wrong way to go. They want to make you feel bad. That’s the point.

- being kind to a bully doesn’t always mean they’ll stop. Sometimes it means they’ll just use your kindness to manipulate you while still continuing to bully you.

- not every bully has a sympathetically tragic home life. Sometimes people are just mean. Sometimes people just get off on hurting others.

- on that note, a tough home life is a reason, not an excuse. You don’t have to put up with bullying because somebody’s life sucks, just like you don’t have to let someone mug you because they’re broke.

- in order to forgive someone, they have to apologize first. If your bully has not apologized to you, you do not owe them anything.

- getting bullied as a kid can still mess you up in adult life. Maybe kids grow out of being bullies, but the marks they left often don’t go away.

- there are ways to get people to stop bullying you, but they almost all involve being mean back.

- as long as parents keep raising shitty bullying kids, there will be bullies. No amount of assemblies and hand-drawn posters will fix the problem. It’s the parents’ fault.

[torispencerkeene-blog]

I want to believe chocolate could cure any ailment from pimples to cancer. I want to believe that it was always free and that it was only a step away from my door, like I could reach put and pluck it from a tree ready to eat.

But wanting it doesn't make it true.

Many people want to believe that Covid-19 is a hoax, or that it will just disappear, or that they can't be hurt by it. People want to believe they, and their families, are safe.

But wanting it doesn't make it true.

I know a lot of you are scared. Because you're afraid, you look for miracle cures, alternate explanations, or just someone to blame. This disease sucks, and it isn't going away anytime soon, which scares the heck out of most people.

But let me tell you about fear. Fear centers in the amygdala (the portion of the brain that also deals with emotional memories) and activates certain hormones (like adrenaline) that help us avoid whatever is frightening us. I learned about it when I was studying PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) after I was first diagnosed with it.

When something scares us, our past history and knowledge impact how we react. So if you were robbed at gunpoint in your college years, you might be more likely to fear guns. If you've seen a natural disaster, images of other disasters might affect you more strongly than someone who hasn't.

We can't control what happens to us, and that makes us feel powerless. So when a disease like Covid-19 comes around, your reaction to it is based on your own history, and on your coping strategies.

Some might watch the news constantly, needing to know every single thing about it. Some might take up the cause and try and persuade others. Still more people might search for alternative explanations or cures. While some people pretend nothing is happening.

This fits in with the fear responses we have seen throughout time. Fight, flight, freeze, and cooperation. When you see someone with a gun pointed at you, automatically you will respond in one of these four ways. The same can be said for facing an invisible enemy like Covid-19.

Now, having learned to live with PTSD, I feel like a bit of an expert on fear. I took psychology in college just to understand it. I've researched ever since then so I could cope. And I have learned how to handle my own fears.

For me, when I panic, I freeze, or cooperate. But when the initial fear is over I turn to research because it gives me the tools to fight that fear.

For instance, because I know I might have a panic attack if I am out of the house and my husband isn't around, I know all I have to do is reach for my purse. It is a treasure grove of coping tools. My phone can help me call my husband who can calm me, or I can grab one of my notebooks, which are filled with quotes, pictures and jokes. I can reach for my pepper spray or my taser if I really do need to protect myself. Or I can grab my tiny ladybug beanie that my BFF gave me (and my husband keeps putting in my purse).

So many people are afraid of covid, so they don't want to hear about it. They arent reaching for their tools. So I figure I can share mine and see if that helps.

First, your mask. Buy or make one that is unique to you. Write something on it that makes you smile, sends a message, or that says who you are.

Disinfectant wipes. Simply use them to clean grocery carts or anything you might touch.

Hand sanitizer. This doesn't have to be plain. It can be lavender scented, which is calming, or smell like whatever you like.

Information. Knowing the facts makes anything less terrifying.

Something to make you smile. Even if it is a silly stuffed animal.

Think about it. People afraid of break-ins buy guns. People afraid of bee stings because of allergies carry an epi-pen. People afraid of the dark carry a flashlight. It just makes sense to arm yourself against your fear.

So, bring a mask. Take those precautions. Learn as much as you can from reliable sources. Arm yourself against Covid-19. Who knows, you might save a life.

Be a hero. Wear a mask.

[torispencerkeene-blog]

Today I lost a friend to Covid-19. From what her sister told us, she watched a video that said wearing a mask would somehow "activate" the corona virus in her system. So, she went without, thinking (as many Americans seem to believe) that Covid-19 was a conspiracy, or that masks were. I'm not sure I completely understand it.

Please, before you share any posts, any videos or charts or articles, that you fact check the information. You could be saving a life.

I'll be the first to admit, I am not an artist. I'm a writer. Unfortunately, the message doesn't seem to be getting out through words alone. Be a hero. Wear a mask.

[torispencerkeene-blog]

In Need of a Hero (rewrite for Covid-19)

The evening comes, darkness covers the land.  We all sit alone, without guidance or friend. 

The nightmares are roaming, closing in on me, An enemy I can’t fight, because I can’t see. 

In need of a hero, I search for those who will fight, But the oval office gives us no light. 

The fear burrows deep, what lurks on our skin? What viruses and plagues are lurking within? 

In need of a hero, I scream out my need, But lies turn away those who could help me. 

Hold up a candle, see by the light,  We are prisoners of myths that are stopping the fight. 

The candle of willpower might see us through,  but sometimes the hero I need is you. 

A person like me, not someone in power, But who listens and learns with each passing hour. 

I scream, no one hears, so I scream again, But I feel like this invisible plague is our end. 

In need of a hero, so many are lost and alone, Afraid to leave the safety of home. 

So if you go out, if you must take the chance,  Be sure to wear masks and social distance. 

Because someone out there, like me, sits alone,  And until Covid(-19) is gone, cannot leave their home. 

If you are in need of a hero, that might be me,  I don’t leave my house without masking, you see? 

In need of a hero, I look to you,  Because wearing a mask isn’t hard to do. 

In need of a hero, we sometimes can’t see,  That real heroes are people, just like you and me. 

#BeAHeroWearAMask #COVID-19 #poetry #hero

[torispencerkeene-blog]

I'll never be an artist, but I can draw well enough to pour my heart out. Today I reached my boiling-over point. With the president taking the Covid-19 pandemic numbers from the CDC we will not even know where we stand, or who is at risk.

Why won't he save us?

[torispencerkeene-blog]

Masks: Myths and Facts

Personal Rights/Politics/Fake News/Conspiracy

Myth:  Covid-19 is a government/left-wing conspiracy. Covid-19 was designed by China to destroy America. It is China’s fault we are dealing with Covid-19.  Fact: There is absolutely no evidence that Covid-19 is any of those things. 

Myth: Covid-19 has been stopped. We are doing fine and there is no need to continue wearing masks. Fact: Covid-19 is still raging in the United States and several other countries. We as citizens must do what we can to help. Just as we vote to elect officials to protect us, we also need to do our part in protecting each other.  

Myth:  Doctor Fauci and the CDC have said I don’t have to wear a mask. That means I don’t need one.  Fact:  Yes, that was the original statement. It has since been explained that those statements were made at a time when medical professionals didn’t have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) and the government was hoping to avoid creating a panic and to avoid people buying all the remaining products that doctors, nurses, and first responders needed.  Also, since the time those statements were made, months of research has shown us that masks do reduce transmission (by as much as 85%). 

Myth: Masks are a symbol of tyranny. Masks are stepping on my personal rights under the constitution. Fact: No one is asking you to wear a mask because they want you unheard, because they are trampling your rights, or because of socialism. The reason people are encouraged to wear a mask is to protect those around you. Your family, friends, neighbors, store clerks, etc. 

Myth: Wearing a mask makes me look weak (my husband said to put this one in).  Fact:  While I have no science to back this up, I can tell you, wearing a mask doesn’t make you look weak. It makes you look smart. Kind. Considerate. Raffish maybe. Dangerous. It certainly doesn’t make you look weak. 

Are there Dangers to Wearing a Mask?

Myth:  My breath gets caught in the mask, trapping carbon monoxide and making me sick.  Fact:  Only particles are stopped by the face masks. Your breath cannot be stopped because it flows through the tiny spaces in the material. No fabric you would use to make a mask is air-tight. Masks don’t stop your breath, only bacteria and particles and the moisture that is carried on your breath.

Myth:  Masks trap harmful bacteria against your face and can make you sick.  Fact:  On the inside of the mask, only your own bacteria is caught. Since it is yours, and you’ve already been exposed to it, there is little chance it will cause you to become ill. 

Myth:  I don’t need to wash my masks.  Fact: You should wash your masks after each use (and only use them once). While your own bacteria is caught on the inside of a mask, the bacteria other people carry might end up on the outside. That is why you should always remove masks by the loops that circle around the ears and wash them with soap and hot water (a washing machine is fine). 

How to Wear a Mask

Myth: Homemade cloth face coverings are ineffective, and shouldn’t be worn in public. I should be using an n-19 respirator.  Fact: Wearing a homemade facemask might not stop a healthy person from getting Covid-19, but it does reduce the risk. Also, wearing homemade masks can help prevent those who are Covid-19-positive from spreading it to others because the fabric can trap some, or all, of the particles that spread the virus.  While respirators would work better, they should be reserved for medical workers and first responders. 

Myth: I only need to cover my mouth. A loose-fitting mask is fine.  Fact: You should always cover both your mouth and nose with your mask. Make sure the mask fits snug against your face so nothing can get in or out around the sides. 

Where to Wear a Mask

Myth: If I don’t feel sick, I don’t need to wear a mask.  Fact: Many Covid-19-positive people have no symptoms, or have delayed symptoms. Wearing a mask protects others in case you have Covid-19 with no symptoms. 

Myth:  You don’t have to wear a mask at home. Fact:  If you are Covid-a9-positive (or are waiting for results and feel ill) you should isolate yourself in a single room. Any time you leave that room, you should be wearing a mask and practicing proper social distancing and safety precautions. 

Myth:  If you’ve already had Covid-19, you don’t need a mask.  Fact: The antibodies for Covid-19 have been shown to reduce greatly over time. More information is needed to discover how long they last, or how likely it is that someone will be infected a second time. 

Myth: I don’t need to wear a mask outside. Fact: Sometimes it is necessary. While it is true that the risk of spread is lower outdoors, there is still a possibility of transmission. In any crowded space, or whenever you are within six feet of other people, you should wear a mask. 

Myth:  If I wear a mask I don’t need to stay home (or social distance). Fact:  Limiting exposure reduces risk. While masks and proper protective measures are extremely important, they are not foolproof. In any enclosed space, your risk of transmission is greater, even with a mask. Maintain social distancing whenever possible, stay home (or alone) as much as possible. Your are only helping yourself and the ones you love. 

Myth:  You have to wear a mask when you swim. Fact:  It’s probably better not to get your mask wet, especially with sea-water. If you are going to go swimming, keep the mask on when you are on the beach or at the pool-side, and any time you are around people. You can take it off to go into the water, but remain away from people who do not live with you. This should reduce the risk. Remember, six feet is considered the minimum safe distance. 

How to Wear a Mask:

Wash your hands before putting on your mask. If you can’t wash them, at the very least, use some sort of hand sanitizer and avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes until you can. 

Start at the top. Cover your nose to your chin, then loop it around the ears. 

Make sure the mask fits close to your face to avoid contaminated air from leaking around the edges. It doesn’t need to dig into your skin, but fit snug against it. 

Whatever mask you use, make sure you can breathe easily through the material. (I have found spandex material fits better around the nose and covers it easily without fogging up your glasses, but it should be reinforced over the mouth so no particles can get through. 

If at all possible, keep the face covering (mask) on the entire time you are out. If for any reason you can’t do this, keep a clean spare in your bag, purse, briefcase, or even in a zip lock bag in your pocket. (I take mine off every now and then to smoke a cigarette, but I make sure I am far from other people when I do so. 

When removing the mask, only touch the ear loops. This helps you avoid getting anything on your hands (but to be safe, you should wash them or use hand sanitizer). Put it directly into the laundry, your place for dirty masks, or into a zip lock bag so that no germs will spread to the rest of your things. 

Wash your masks before reusing them. Moisture allows bacteria to grow and they can smell if you don’t clean them quickly (have enough spares that you can wash some while having others for use). 

For more information (Sources) Note: The CDC has directions for making your own face covering. 

www.CDC.gov www.WHO.int University of Maryland Medical System - Wearing a Mask: Myths and Facts Pacific Northwest University - Fact vs. Fiction: Face Masks TriCare - Face Masks, Stress: Covid-19 Myths vs Facts AARP - 7 Myths about Face Masks

[torispencerkeene-blog]

CHECK YOUR SOURCE!

I used to be a Sunday School teacher, before my health and circumstances prevented me from doing something I loved immensely. If there is one thing any of my former students can remember from my teaching it would be: CHECK YOUR SOURCE. 

I have always despised those who take a verse out of context to use it for their own gain. Now, in the current world, I’m asking all of you to do the same. If somebody tells you they know something is fake news, ask how they know. Where did they find the information. Then... go look for yourself! 

Don’t be a sheep. Always check your sources. For instance... Masks have NOTHING to do with politics, but have recently been politicized. Many have claimed that a retail store refusing customers because they aren’t wearing masks is against their constitutional rights. Think again. 

Nowhere... absolutely nowhere... in the constitution does it say that you have the RIGHT to put someone else at risk, whether purposefully or not because masks make you uncomfortable, are harder to breathe in, or are against your political beliefs. In fact... if you go back just a little further in time, you will remember that the Declaration of Independence states that all men (and women) have the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

LIFE. 

Covid -19 can and does kill. As of the last time I checked the loss of life here in America was around 138,000! Those men and women were our countrymen. What about their rights? What about mine? 

[torispencerkeene-blog]

BE A HERO. WEAR A MASK (Take Two)

In the past few weeks I have been trying (mostly without success) to spread the message that HEROES WEAR MASKS. I find so much of this disturbing, but recently I came across a post from someone who was giving their reasons for not wearing masks. I don’t want to call that person out, or make them feel bad, so I decided to do a little bit of research. I came up with eight main reasons that people don’t wear masks, and I want to show you what they are and give you a hint as to how those things could be countered if you have to explain this to anyone. 

I would also like to remind you that we are all in this together. Please don’t get into a fight about this. Healthy debate is great, but don’t let anyone pull you into a fight. It could be more dangerous than them not wearing that mask. 

*******************************************************************************************

1. It's harder to breathe when I wear a mask. 

If you find it more difficult to breathe while wearing a mask, then you should absolutely be the FIRST one wearing a mask. Take that feeling, of having a hard time getting air... now quadruple it. You might be getting close to the first stages of what asthma feels like. 

When I can't breathe it absolutely terrifies me. I have asthma, and wearing a mask sometimes does make it a little harder to breathe. But I wear the mask because the idea of having a tube down my throat just so I can get air is ten-million times more terrifying. I don't want to die from Covid-19. I really, really don't. 

2. It makes me uncomfortable. 

There are other masks out there. If you can't find one that is comfortable, you can make one. It's fun and interesting to make your own designs and just do what you want with the material. There are masks that are made from spandex that are much more comfortable and slip right up under your glasses so they don't get all foggy. If I can do it, so can you. 

3. It isn't my responsibility to keep other people safe. 

Maybe not, but it isn't only strangers you would be protecting. When you wear a face mask, social distance, and take proper precautions (like washing your hands with hot water and soap for a full 20 seconds), then you are protecting yourself, your children, your parents, your friends, your neighbors, your grocery store clerk. Most of them are people you see all the time. You like them. You want them in your life. Wear a mask for them. Be a hero. Being a hero isn't about only meeting your responsibilities, it is going above and beyond for other people. 

4. It makes me afraid (Or, it’s fearmongering).

If you weren't afraid, I would be worried about you. Seriously, we're all afraid. Every single one of us has some fear. Maybe it isn't Covid-19. Maybe it's a fear of a car accident, or fear of losing someone, or a fear of the dark. All of us have fear. But rising above that fear and doing what is best for other people is a sign of bravery. Like Clara from Doctor Who, perhaps whisper, "Let me be brave." 

When you are afraid of the dark, you bring a flashlight. When you are afraid of a stranger, you carry pepper spray. When you are afraid of a disease... you wear a mask. 

5. It doesn't work. 

Actually, that is where you are wrong. No, I’m not about to get up on a political soap-box and preach at you about who is right or wrong in politics. I don’t like Republicans, but I also don’t really care for Democrats. I guess, maybe, I could be called an Independent, but even they don’t really fit my criteria. So me saying this isn’t about politics. Please hear me when I say that. I don’t care who you vote for... wear a mask when you do it. 

If masks didn't work, why would doctors and nurses have been wearing them for so many years? It doesn't make them look important. It's because they don't want to carry any diseases home to their families. It makes perfect sense. If you were working with asbestos, you would wear protective gear for that too. Doctors know viruses and diseases can spread, so they protect themselves. 

The medical workers and scientists working through the Covid-19 pandemic have been pretty clear about masks in recent weeks. The more we learn, the more we know we need these masks if we want our country to completely re-open, and to STAY open. I did a bunch of research on this, mostly because I got into a debate with someone about it, and found literally dozens of articles and PDFs about the effectiveness of masks during the pandemic, and all (except a few older pieces by someone I wouldn't want treating me for a splinter) said the same thing. Masks help slow the spread. 

In fact, one news report I watched said that in a hair salon, two customers had Covid-19 but didn’t know it. The stylist and other customers didn't get it because those customers were wearing masks! Keeping a mask on protects everyone you come into contact with. It isn’t a perfect solution (there are none) but refusing to wear a mask only keeps the spread of the disease going on and keeps us shut down longer. 

6. It violates my rights. 

Which ones? 

Laid out in the Declaration of Independence it says that 'all men have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' I will grant you that. And you have the right to express your opinions (I can show you how) but that does NOT mean that you have the right to put other people in danger to exercise those rights! I have the right to LIVE. I want to live. I don't have grandchildren yet. I would like to actually live long enough to meet them. I want to live long enough for my son to get married. I want to live to pursue some of my dreams, to find that happiness for myself. Wearing a mask protects my rights!

Are you talking about your first amendment rights? That is the right to religion, free speech, having a free press, the right to assemble, and the right to petition the government. 

 - If you want to practice your religion, services are being held online by so many churches I couldn’t begin to name them all. (If you are a shut-in like I was, you already know this) There are dozens of churches that post their services on their websites. It’s how I watched when I couldn’t get to church. 

- If you want the right of free speech, make your own mask into a statement!

- If you want the press, it’s everywhere! 

- If you want to assemble, no one is stopping you (unless the area where you live has increasing numbers of Covid-19, in which case they are trying to save your life).

- If you want the right to petition the government, you can... just do it safely. There are more ways than one to petition. Start an online petition. Do a drive-by petition where every family makes statements on their car. If you want to, you can even make your mask a petition. There are more ways to do it than gathering together without simple protection for yourself and the ones you love. 

7. It's a political statement. 

 Actually, it isn't. It's a statement that you think you know more than every doctor and nurse, every scientist in all the countries around the world. Masks have NOTHING to do with politics. But they can... Let me tell you how. 

Get blank black or white reusable face masks and either fabric markers or puff paints. Then you can write whatever you want to say on your mask! Then it can BECOME a political statement! 

8. President Trump doesn't wear one, why should I? 

First, let me reiterate what your mother probably asked you at least once during your formative years (if your mom is anything like mine). “If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?” 

All I am saying is use common sense. It's not up for debate. We know wearing masks slows the spread. Don't do something dangerous just to have solidarity with the president. If you want to impress him, find a red reusable face mask and write ‘Make America Great Again’ all over it with white puff paint. 

*******************************************************************************************

So, what reasons do you have for not wearing a mask? Is it something I didn't cover on the list? Is there something you want to know and no one has given you an answer? Do you wear a mask and want to know how to convince others to wear one? Do you wear one, but don’t even know why? 

Ask me. If I don’t know the answer, I will try to find it for you. I am up for healthy debate (but no actual fighting) about the pros and cons of wearing masks. If you have real evidence to support not wearing one, I’d love to see it. Anything that can help me answer questions and teach people. 

Also, if you want access to my research, type in the pros and cons to wearing a face mask to fight Covid-19 in your search bar. Yeah, you might pull up a couple articles from people who are against it, but if you look for MEDICAL research, you will get the same answer every time. Masks slow the spread. There are tons of videos on YouTube about it as well. 

Look, we're all pretty smart people. No one is asking you to change your political beliefs. We only want the chance to live. We don't want to die. We don't want our kids, our parents, our brothers and sisters, or our friends and neighbors to die. We have seen that countries that practice social distancing, mask wearing, and proper precautions are already on the other side of the curve. If we want America to be fully open (and stay that way) we need to do our part. 

BE A HERO. WEAR A MASK!

#BeAHeroWearAMask #masks save lives

[torispencerkeene-blog]

Be a Hero! Wear a Mask!

#BeAHeroWearAMask #Covid-19 #Masks #Corona Virus

[torispencerkeene-blog]

I can't make this any simpler than it already is. 1/4 of Covid-19 cases, and nearly 1/4 of Covid-19 deaths are from within the US!

What is the difference? Masks have been politicized in America. This has to stop!

Be a hero! Wear a mask! Save lives!

[torispencerkeene-blog]

My newest mask shares the message I want people to remember...

Be a hero! Wear a mask!

[torispencerkeene-blog]

An Apology to My Readers: Delays

I wanted to let everyone know that I fully intend to finish my stories, but over the past few days I just haven’t had any will to write. Unfortunately, I am afraid. I’m afraid for my life. I’m afraid for my family. I’m afraid for my town. I’m afraid for my state, and for my country. I live in constant fear, and it hasn’t been helping me find inspiration. It’s been tearing me apart.

I have asthma, or more specifically severe allergies to perfumes and chemicals that react like asthma. This means that I am more likely to have a severe reaction if I come into contact with Covid-19. Comorbidity. You see that word and all you can think is that this is a death sentence. I have left the house three times since early February. Each time I come back and worry for the next several days that I’ve somehow been exposed. Except, my husband is a necessary worker and went to his job every day through the lockdown and continues to go now when the country is reopening too soon and there are thousands dying.

Worse, I have a son in the marines, and he doesn’t always have time to contact his worried mother. I’ve always been a worrier, but never like this before. I wish I could tell you why I am so afraid, but I don’t even know myself. I’m not afraid to die, I suppose, but I don’t want to go out struggling for days, maybe weeks, without enough air. That sounds horrible to me.

So I haven’t been able to write. I haven’t been able to find the hopeful part of me that never writes an unhappy ending. The part that believes there will always be another miracle. The piece of me that thinks everything will work out if you just do your best. How can I, when all around me thousands of people are dying and many of those deaths could have been avoided if people had common decency.

For all those people out there who think a mask is a political statement, please stop. It doesn’t mean you support the democrats. It means we want to live. I am horrified that you could play Russian roulette on not just your life, and the lives of your parents, siblings, spouse, children, and grandchildren, but on MY life, and the lives of MY husband, my son, my nieces and nephews, my sisters and brothers, my mothers and fathers, my grandparents, my friends, and my neighbors. Please stop thinking just because you might survive it, that everyone else will. Some of us won’t.

Be a hero, wear a mask.

Social distancing, proper safety precautions, and wearing masks shouldn’t be political. Stop listening to ANYONE who says it is. Keep your politics away from my immune system. At least let me have the RIGHT to live. That’s all I can ask of anyone.

So no, I haven’t been writing, and I haven’t been responding to emails, because how can I have hope if the very people my town needs to survive are ignoring that we have to live and are refusing to social distance, refusing to wear masks, refusing to remember that people live here all the time. They hear people say we had no cases in our area, so they come in droves, bringing it from outside. My community is almost HALF senior citizens, and the rest of us are made up of couples and young families.

I want to live long enough to meet my own future grandchildren. I want to live long enough to walk the Appalachian Trail, and to see the rest of my beautiful country. I want to live long enough to publish my novels and see them sell millions of copies. I want to live long enough to accomplish my dreams.

Sailor Moon is the type of hero we really need right now, and I so wish that I could sit down and give you a story with her hopeful tone and her joyful light, but I can’t. Right now I would put her on a mission of vengeance, and that isn’t my Sailor Moon. My Sailor Moon always does what is right, even when it’s hard, even when it hurts, even when it means she will lose, because she is the true hero, who refuses to give in, or to give up. My Sailor Moon could never be turned dark because there isn’t a scrap of darkness in her. She has everything she could ever want or need. She is a good daughter and tries to obey her parents and do what they’ve taught her. She is truth and hope and unconditional love.

Sailor Moon would wear a mask. She would wear that mask and walk right out into the middle of town and she would stand up for those of us who need someone to hear us. Not just those with compromised immune systems, but those who have been treated badly for centuries, for the ones who need a place to flee because they don’t have a home anymore due to war or terror. Sailor Moon would love the way we need a hero to love. She would show us that anyone can change, that any heart could be healed, and that any barrier can be breached with a hand outstretched, with love, with friendship, with faith.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the world we live in. It isn’t the world around me right now. I live in a world where a man drove into a grocery store parking lot in MAINE with a rebel flag proudly displayed on his back window… who walked into the grocery store full of necessary workers and refused to wear a mask because it was his ‘right’ to make a political statement. I live in a world where people think it’s perfectly fine to treat others like their lives are meaningless, and where those who are the most necessary workers among the population are often paid the least. Where they can’t afford to stop working even to protect their families because they don’t have that nest egg of savings that those who have more had. I live in a world where people are being evicted from their homes for not paying rent they couldn’t meet because they weren’t ‘essential workers.’

Find me hope and I think I would write a million stories in a day, but I have none. Not when the man who is my president is drawing crowds of unmasked people together and those people then go and infect other people. Meanwhile people who are trying to stay safe are treated like they are making a political statement.

Be a hero, wear a mask.

I’m living in a world where I am afraid to let people into my home for fear they might have Covid. A world where I’m afraid to go out with my sister-in-law to the grocery store… and after the one trip I took with her I panicked for days. Where going out with my husband makes me terrified because someone coughed near me and wasn’t wearing a mask. Where walking into a bookstore means a handful of hand-sanitizer to protect the elderly couple who work there and I still have to listen to people treat them rudely, then force their way past me out the door and ignore the fact that using a walker means it’s more difficult for me.

I want to live in Sailor Moon’s world, where an entire community would come together to tell the military to leave them alone. Where Sailor Moon can take the hand of her enemy and remind them how to be human. I want to live there, where magic could fix a pandemic, and there is always someone there to take your hand when you’re afraid and you wouldn’t be afraid to reach back.

Bring me some hope and I’ll show you my dreams for a world like Sailor Moon’s. But until then my pen is down. My torch is out. My muse is huddled in a corner unable to come out because she’s me, and she is afraid to die like this. Bring me some hope, please. Tell me everything is going to be okay, because right now, I don’t think it will be. Even after this disease goes away, there is still so much hate and so little empathy. I don’t think we will get through this. Bring me some hope.

Be a hero, wear a mask.

[torispencerkeene-blog]

It doesn't take much to be a hero... wear a mask, save a life!

[torispencerkeene-blog]

Also posted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24890242

Fairy Tale Challenge 2020. Long ago, in a time of warriors and kings, witches and maidens, there lived a king and his seven children. He had six strapping sons, and one lovely daughter. They were a happy and prosperous family in a kingdom that loved them. Until the king was forced to remarry or let his kingdom be destroyed by an evil witch. He attempts to hide his children, only for them to be discovered and a spell put over them. This is their story

[torispencerkeene-blog]

Also posted on Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13624693/1/Usagi-and-the-Swans

Fairy Tale Challenge 2020. Long ago, in a time of warriors and kings, witches and maidens, there lived a king and his seven children. He had six strapping sons, and one lovely daughter. They were a happy and prosperous family in a kingdom that loved them. Until the king was forced to remarry or let his kingdom be destroyed by an evil witch. He attempts to hide his children, only for them to be discovered and a spell put over them. This is their story