Albert Uderzo, a creator of French hero Asterix, dies at 92

New coronavirus threatens both rich, poor across Mideast

PLAINS TWP. &mdash; This whole self-isolation/social distancing thing, while necessary, can be trying, to say the least.
				People are people and they want to have their normalcy back. We all miss the socialization in our lives, even if it just means playing cards with your buddies, or dining out, or shopping at the mall.
				As we obey the warnings of our health care experts, we also must consider the effects this pandemic is having on one&rsquo;s mental state.
				The term melancholy comes to mind &mdash; that feeling of pensive sadness. This can be difficult to deal with, experts say.
				Well America, snap out of it. We must believe that this pandemic will pass &mdash; when, however, is not easy to predict. But once it does, there will again be dancing in the streets, crowds at local business and, yes, toilet paper and hand sanitizer on the shelves.
				Last night, I decided to check in with a few friends and family members just to see how they were doing. This exercise also had my own interests at heart &mdash; I miss them all and just wanted to talk a little. I recommend this to everybody.
				Now, let me just say that I do keep in touch with family and friends on a regular basis &mdash; some appreciate that, others might prefer less frequency. I&rsquo;m kidding, I think.
				Anyway, it was good for me to have these conversations, to hear what is going on in their lives, while at the same time filling my need to be distracted from the continuous COVID-19 reports on TV.
				I hope this reaching out becomes even more contagious than the coronavirus &mdash; I welcome phone calls, texts and emails. They bring a smile to my face.
				As we remain confined to quarters, the world still turns. People are living their adjusted lives. The circle of life continues &mdash; people die, babies are born. We have to keep everything in perspective.
				With no NCAA basketball tournament to thrill us, I recalled the time I attended an Eastern Regional Tournament with a few pals. It was at the Carrier Dome on the campus of Syracuse University. The four teams were Georgia, Ohio State, St. John&rsquo;s and North Carolina, who had a young player named Michael Jordan. It was a great event &mdash; Georgia advanced to the Final Four.
				One night when we returned to our hotel from a game, we waited for the elevator, along with a crowd of people. When the door opened, the elevator filled &mdash; we didn&rsquo;t get on. One of my pals waited for the door to close and when it did, he pushed the button and the door opened up. He did this three times, finally stating, &ldquo;I think there are too many on there. You&rsquo;re over the weight limit.&rdquo;
				A few people got off. We got on. The door closed and up we went.
				Everybody in the elevator laughed. I&rsquo;m not sure the people who got off the elevator were as amused.
				I hope this made you laugh. We all need to laugh these days.
				As always, stay safe. Stay healthy.
				And keep smiling.

Coping with corona: Check on others during pandemic