I was at a store on Sunday talking to two gentlemen in the vitamin aisle, and their main beef was people hoarding toilet paper, bread, water, and vitamins, of course.

One of the gentleman told me not to live in fear and that the coronavirus hype was all overblown (It may have had something to do with my rubber gloves and covered face.)

Then the conversation got political, which is when I wandered off. I tend to take virus stuff seriously, and at that moment, it hit me why I get offended when I see others not taking it seriously.

In 2009, I was working at a radio station in Connecticut, filling in at night for a guy who was down sick for two weeks; we figured he just had the seasonal flu.

A few days after he returned to work, I fell Ill. I was not sick as long as he was, but I was a mess.

The doctors did not know what was wrong with me, and they had nothing that worked for me. After being laid up for about a week with a fever and feeling like a bus hit and backed over me, I slowly returned to normal life.

Three weeks later, I received a call from the doctor's office and I was told my test results said I had contracted and recovered from this new mystery illness called H1N1.

At that moment, I had no clue what H1N1 was, but the news coverage in the weeks to follow, allowed me to realize the gravity of the situation.

I am grateful I am not in the minority of people who passed away from that illness, and I hope not to be in the minority that contracts and passes from this.

However, the nice redneck at the store was correct; you should not live in fear! There is a distinct difference between fear and precautions. Do your part, let's get through this.

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