Well, like so many others, here I am with my laptop open, reading the headlines over and over. The more I read, the higher the mountain of worries grows. As I watch the number of cases of the coronavirus rise, I'm more frightened by the hour. How bad is all this going to get? How are we going to get through this? Will my family be OK? My friends? Everyone I know? The world?
This isn't the world I walked in a few months ago. I think back to Thanksgiving, getting together with family. Or a month ago, going to a play. Stores open, people chatting, normalcy. Now: Theaters: closed. Schools: closed. Restaurants: empty. Every few hours another announcement or state of emergency declared. I never thought you could play a sports game to an empty stadium - but here we are. In the space of a few weeks, our world has utterly changed.
When an earthquake hits, tremors start to shake the ground, things fall off shelves, and you run for safety. Maybe it ends there - or maybe it gets worse and worse, and cracks open in the ground, and the pillars of your world come crashing down.
Phew. Time to stop and take a few deep breaths.
First of all, I really want to remind us all that there is always, always an 'after'. It might be a different after than we can imagine today, or a new normal, but a year from now, I believe we'll look back and see that we got through this. There will very likely be difficult days ahead, but we can get through them.
Second, although you and I can't control what happens, we CAN control how we behave. We can choose caring and positive action right here and now.
As I write this, I realize that sounds glib. It's not that simple, of course. When a crisis hits, the people most vulnerable are the hardest hit. When you're struggling from paycheck to paycheck, or scared you'll lose your job, your home or your business, uplifting words aren't helpful - they're insulting and callous. So I guess I'm speaking most of all here to those of us who are on the shore, or in the lifeboats.
How will we choose to behave, in these shaky times?
You know, in normal times, most of us kind of live in the middle ground. We go through the motions and live our lives without having to face too many important choices. But in perilous times, when the ground is shifting, we have to grab hold of something to keep us steady. We have to decide - fast - how we're going to face a new and terrifying reality.
When we're afraid, when the world we know feels like it's shaking to the core, what do we reach out for? What do we grab onto?
Some folks grab onto denial. It's not happening. They close their shades and listen to lies and stoutly declare that it's all a hoax. You can only do that for so long, though, before reality comes and knocks on your door. One cough, and the truth becomes very, very clear.
Some folks grab blame. It's THEIR fault. Never mind that our neighbors overseas have suffered far more than we have. Never mind that a germ doesn't know or care what you look like or where you're from. Some people, in their fear or ignorance or their racism, have already begun to strike out.
Some folks grab selfishness. Buy all the masks you can get your hands on - never mind that your neighbor who's really sick needs it. Stock up on supplies and leave the shelves bare for the people behind you.
So, ask yourself, right here and now, what do I want to stand on? Where's my solid ground?
Here's what I want to hold onto: Connection. Caring. Concern.
I want to make sure my neighbors are OK. The elderly couple down the street, whose kids live far away. The frail neighbor with diabetes. The mom who's struggling to find child care when the schools are closed.
I want to call and tell my family I love them. This has reminded me, all of us, how fragile a thing community is. But we can still find ways to keep in touch - we need that now, more than ever.
I want to keep the ones I love safe, by not getting sick myself if I can avoid it. I want to use caution and good sense, by staying home and following good advice.
I want to help. I can call my representatives to demand action. I can donate food and supplies to the local food pantry. I can support hard-hit local businesses. Most of all, I can pass along real information, not lies or panic.
How about you?
When trouble strikes, every one of us has to choose how we'll behave. And when this is over, what do you want to look back on? Did you reach out, or strike out?
Well, I hope and pray this will pass, and that we'll find a way through together. But until the ground stops shaking, dear friends, take good care of yourself. Get lots of sleep. Find ways to keep your hopes up and your spirit strong. And be sure, whatever you do, to keep in touch. We need you.
God bless you all.
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