THERE IS A WORD FOR IT

Thank you! Thank you! To those of you who tried to help me find the word I wanted for, shall we temporarily call it, “Corona virus fatigue?”. Many good suggestions, but, of course, the word I wanted popped into my head at 3 a.m. (Who says insomnia is a bad thing?) It’s really a very tiny word, only 5 letters. Looks good in print but I doubt if you could use it too easily in conversation.
You see, it’s actually a French word and thus, to our Americanized ears, the pronunciation is funny. I think you’ll agree it looks good in print: ENNUI. It’s defined as a “feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety.” Satiety, usually referring to food, is being full, probably over-full. And we are over-full of corona virus warnings, right? Now to try to pronounce it. I had to haul out my old American Heritage Dictionary and it gave me: un-we (long e, accent on we). Just try using that in everyday conversation and see what results you get. “Huh? What ya’ say?”
No matter the word, the feeling is hounding us. More mask warnings? New restrictions? And new statistics, each time worse than before. Why can’t we just bury our heads in the sand until it goes away? Sorry, folks, Corona Virus is real. It’s bad and it’s getting worse. We HAVE to hang in there. We simply must. Yes, it’s been about seven long months and we’re fed up with it. And that’s not a good kind of satiety.
Scientists and doctors much better educated and far smarter than me have grappled with the problem and made suggestions. Listen to them. My suggestions are basic. Don’t question the restrictions, they exist. People who know more than we do, say: do it! So do it. They say it will get worse. Accept it. Don’t quibble.
We’re strong enough. We can hang in there. After all, most of us come from pioneer stock or immigrant stock that suffered far more than we are suffering. And let’s be realistic: is it really so bad? No one has taken away our civil liberties. Wearing a mask and washing our hands doesn’t qualify as losing our rights as American citizens.
We have so much to be thankful for. We’re not dodging bombs every time a plane flies overhead. We aren’t living in caves or under bridges. We eat, yah, probably more than we need if you think of the average girth. No matter how disgusted we get with our politicians, we are blessed to be Americans.
So next time a plane flies overhead, look up and smile. When a police car drives by: wave. When the news makes you sick: turn it off. Each night and each morning, thank God for the blessings you have.
Together, we’ll make it.