Don’t fret about coronavirus. I do plenty, and trust me, it doesn’t help anyway.

When my parents were growing up they had to endure the Great Depression.

When I was young, I worried a lot about a nuclear war. Actually I was scared senseless much of the time and any clap of thunder would set my heart to racing and have me preparing to dive under my school desk in a duck and cover move we were told (falsely) would save us.

Now I’m worrying about another depression. It doesn’t seem fair. I’ve already done my share of worrying.

I know our elders were always leery of the abundance and the ease of living we Baby Boomers enjoyed. That happens when you had to scrabble for any food and you reused everything, like they did, I was always told. Again and again and again, it seemed. We just rolled our eyes and went on enjoying life, although we still were stressed hoping that no one unleashed any nuclear weapons.

But in the back of my mind I never could escape that nagging thought that what if everything fell apart and the economy went bust? This standard of living has always seemed too good to be true.

Of course I was one of the people who always said that when it came time for me to claim it, Social Security would have vanished and now I get money automatically deposited in my bank account every month. I also said, by the time I was ready to claim the money in my 401K account, some message would pop up on my computer screen saying, “April Fool.”

Unfortunately, these days that still may happen but I am hoping not.

The soaring heights the stock market reached seemed too good to last. The jury is still out on that one. In fact, the jury is still out on a lot of things, like how high unemployment numbers will reach, how many people will die from the COVID-19 plague and whether anyone will ever be able to buy toilet paper again.

If you are worrying about all that is happening, let me ease your burden. Luckily I am retired and have plenty of time to worry for everybody and I’m good at it. I have spent much of my pessimist life worrying about things that never happened.

I am in the age group which is particularly vulnerable to this latest pandemic, I am told. I also have respiratory issues and kidney problems. As my nephew, the doctor said, if you get it you’re dead. Love that guy. I haven’t been inside a store for at least four weeks, just in case. Not that that many are open anyway.

I have a mask, and I’ll be alright

I also am going bald which has nothing to do with any of this, but it still worries me. I really can’t do anything about that, but at least I can follow all the recommended precautions for the new virus and try to help out others when I can. I have a mask. My wife sewed it.

And as long as the books I order keep arriving, the grocery stores stay stocked and my computer doesn’t break, I will be all right amid the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s hoping you will be, too.

Try not to worry about it, trust me, it doesn’t help.

This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.