The least fun Jenga game ever

Do you feel like a big Jenga tower?
If you’re not familiar, the Jenga game is a tower made of rectangular, wooden blocks neatly stacked in alternating patterns.
It’s pretty solid in the beginning.
Players take turns pulling out blocks and, eventually, the stack de-stabilizes and falls.
Before the inevitable fall, when the stack is rickety, sometimes a player strategically removes a block that can improve the stack’s balance.
I was talking with Bulletin editor Jess Williams and he said Coronavirus is exposing the Jenga nature of so many systems, not just our economy, but our healthcare system, our environment and even our personal households.
Here’s a look at just some of those Jenga blocks.

The Jenga block of SHOPPING: I’ve never been much into shopping as an art form or a way of life as it is for many. When your shopping options are suddenly reduced, however, you quickly realize your established patterns. Mine are influenced by having a 16-year-old daughter, but I discovered I do a lot more shopping than I thought. Oddly, in the Time of Coronavirus, the places I have shopped the most are Toucan Market, Chavira’s Produce and Auto Zone. Doing minor vehicle repairs and maintenance has been oddly satisfying for me.

The Jenga block of FAMILY: I’ve been blessed with having additional time with my daughter. Unfortunately, the option of visiting my elderly and ailing parents in Oklahoma (a trip I had been making every 2-3 months), was suddenly pulled away, as their assisted living prohibited visitors. While I know this is protecting them, I worry about THEIR Jenga towers, not to mention the Jenga towers of their caregivers, whose stress levels must be through the roof. I grieve, too, because every day is one less day I’ll have with my parents. For many, with the closures of schools and workplaces, all those people under one roof trying to share one or two computers has been a source of joy, but also a source of tension.

The Jenga block of HOME: For many, our homes are our retreat and our sanctuary, our respite from the crazy world. However, when you’re forced to stay at home 24/7, as many are, home can become a kind of prison.

The Jenga block of FINANCE: The Coronavirus has hit us all in the pocketbook. Many have lost their jobs and could be in danger of losing a place to live. Many businesses are teetering. Some of us are doing OK right now, but will be really hurting a few months from now, when the long-term effects kick in. The fragile, house-of-cards nature of so many of our personal, our state, our federal and our global economies is being blatantly exposed.

The Jenga block of INDEPENDENCE: When the simple joys of heading downtown to peruse the book store, sitting down at the coffee shop or going fishing are stripped, we lose those mental and emotional releases. Even the tiny peace of having the house to yourself for just a few minutes of silence is gone for many.

The Jenga block of SOCIAL LIFE: I didn’t realize how much of my job involved attending various events until all the events got canceled. I also didn’t realize how much I enjoyed seeing all the old friends, new friends and acquaintances at those events. It’s a drag when simply going out with friends for an ice cream or an adult beverage is no longer possible.

The Jenga block of PHYSICAL EXERCISE: I enjoy hiking and taking walks with the dog, which I can still do to some degree. My most rigorous, and most social, exercise, though, is playing basketball. I’ve been playing pickup basketball a couple of times a week most of my adult life. Now I can’t do that. My basketball buddies and I talked briefly of playing games using zone defense, six feet apart, but quickly realized that wouldn’t work. Now, with the parks closed, I can’t even go shoot baskets by myself at the outdoor courts. One guy I know got pulled over by the police while he was out for a run.

The Jenga block of HEALTH: The specter of Coronavirus hangs over us like a dark cloud, but many face health issues totally unrelated to COVID-19. Ordinarily, we would make an appointment with the doctor and get checked. Now we’re hesitant to do that and, in many cases, are asked not to do that. Who knows the eventual ramifications of those delays? And I hope you don’t sprain your ankle stepping onto your back porch.

The Jenga block of SPIRITUALITY: Christ, Buddha and Muhammad all spent significant time alone, praying and contemplating. There is an important solitary element to spirituality, and it can deepen the faith. But spirituality’s social aspect is the yin to spiritual isolation’s yang, and both are needed to fill the whole. Churches have gotten creative, using technology for worship services. It can be kind of fun, but not the same. For some, closer family time has deepened spiritual connections, but many are missing the power of congregation. I deeply miss the weekly sacrament of communion.

We all have these and other Jenga blocks being pulled from our towers. I pray you’re able to stay in balance and maybe even add a supporting block or two. If this goes on too much longer, our towers are all going to collapse to the floor.