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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Patience: A New-Found Virtue

Oct 01, 2020 12:43PM ● By Isabella Dussias

As a stereotyped bunch, we teens are not exactly known for patience. We have been brought up to have any fact or trivia at the tip of our fingers with a quick internet search. Gone are the days described by our parents—looking up things in encyclopedias or spending hours struggling with the curious but daunting “microfiche” housed in libraries. Teens have grown up with phones that function as computers. We place call-ahead restaurant orders and get online pre-ticketing for movie theaters. Unlike my parents’ childhood, we are used to a fast-paced world with instant results.

Now we are dealing with new protocols because of COVID-19 and patience is paramount. As teens, we realize the potential severity of this virus and that we must follow the recommended guidelines to keep us safe. As with everyone during this time, teens are frustrated to some extent. We have different “new normals” for school, for sports, for after school activities. There are no hugs in the hallways, no high-fives, no friendly handshakes. Future school events hang in the balance.

So, in comes patience, our new friend. We must embrace patience because there is no alternative. As we wait for this virus to get under control, we long for days that weren’t that long ago. We long for the times when we could drive around with our friends singing to the radio, the times of school dances and pep rallies, even the times we cried with each other and were comforted by hugs. We long for those times again because being human is who we are. For now, patience is our new-found virtue.

Isabella Dussias is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter/composer from New Jersey. She enjoys writing about issues that are important to today’s youth, and she believes music is an important outlet to connect people and share messages through the creativity of lyric and melody. For more information, please visit IsabellaDussias.com.


In-Print Local Insights Teen Voices October 2020
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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