As I sat watching the news and drinking my coffee, the spotlight was on the Colonial Pipeline and the southeast's gas shortages. The pipeline has been down for five days, and I can't stop thinking about our vulnerability. A mere five days and a portion of the country is negatively impacted. It wouldn't take much to take us down as a country, and that isn't very comforting. After a mere five days, people are getting into fistfights and being ugly over gasoline. These are indeed unsettling times in which we live.
As I experience first-hand product shortages, price gauging, and hyperinflation, I am a little nervous. I tend to be a little worried; it's my nature. However, living with my glass-half-empty husband doesn't help my tendency to be nervous. The Bibbed Wonder has been waiting for society to fall since Y2K...sigh. He pulls up articles about historical events that document the fall of one country or another and then sits and analyzes our situation with me after I have read the article. I'm not sure why I continue to read the articles or open his attachments. Yes, he emails me articles even though we spend 24/7 together. He also texts me from across the room. He'll text me things like, "Why do you hate me? I would rather poke my eye out than watch another stupid British show on Netflix. I love you. Why do you torture me?" These are just a few of his annoying traits. Sigh. Anyhow, he doesn't help my proclivity for feeling nervous.
Things I have noted in the past few weeks, even months, are the increase in prices for raw materials. We were paying $58 for a five-gallon bucket of coconut oil. We just ordered eight more buckets, and the price has jumped to $81 per bucket. Essential oils have also increased depending upon their country of orientation by at least twenty percent. Plastic products are also inflated. Bubble wrap has also gone through the roof. We were paying $41 for five rolls of bubble wrap. Now, we are paying $75 for five rolls. Don't even get me started about jars for moisturizer. They have jumped from twenty-one cents per jar to seventy-one cents per jar, which is IF they can be found. We just ordered a pallet and were told they wouldn't be available until June 9th. If the jars do become available, we were told to expect only partial fulfillment of our order. It is frustrating and a bit disconcerting.
Our super smarty pants friend, Jenna, is a senior at Penn State AND was exempt from all her finals because her grades are so high...sorry for the brag. Jenna is a great kid, and I am impressed with her. She informed me that plastic products are increased because corn prices are up, and plastics are made with corn by-products. I trust her information because, as I said, she's a super smarty pants. Jenna also identifies my proclivity for nervousness and messes with me quite a bit, but she was serious about this topic. Being inclined to worrying, I wonder what else can go wrong? Is The Bibbed Wonder correct? Is it our fate to fall? Have we ridden the wave too long and now must experience the crash?
With my inclination for worrying, I think I need to stop watching the news...again. I also think I should stop communicating with The Bibbed Wonder. However, as I said in previous posts, not talking to him does not have the punitive effect I hope for, and why would I do anything to make that man happy? Insert a giggle here. Perhaps, I should do what I have always done. I just believe everything will be okay, and eventually, it will be. Is that a juvenile approach? Perhaps, but it works for me. I will just roll with whatever is thrown my way and keep moving forward. However, I may block my husband from emails and messaging. At least I would be able to watch my "stupid British shows" in peace.
These are indeed unsettling times, dear reader. As always, stay safe, be smart, stay calm, and keep washing your hands. Also, please don't punch anyone in the face for gasoline. I feel like I should not have to say this, but there it is. Insert wink.
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