A Moment in My Life – Friday, March 5, 2021
It’s exciting as a few of our counties move out of the purple and into the red tier and allow more businesses to reopen indoors that we all miss dearly—just in the nick of time. I heard on GMA3 that we’re in a second pandemic with more and more people suffering from Covid-19 and quarantine. Dr. Jen Ashton said everybody has suffered, and the pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. She said that all of us are subject to fatigue, anxiety, depression, PTSD from the second pandemic and that we all lost something, and some of us lost someone. All of which caused a ripple effect from the virus that trickle down to our mental health. Moving into the red tier is great news, but I think it’s too soon with the reopening to bring healing.
We didn’t get into this dilemma overnight, so we’re not going to jump out of our seats and go back to normal because we’re out of the purple tier. I think we should be leery and proceed cautiously. You know, we’ve been here before. Hopefully, we learned from experience not to drop our guards quickly. As much as we all want our lives back, it’s risky to flip the switch too rapidly. We’ve been sheltered in place coming up a year now, so what’s a little bit longer if that means keeping us from falling back into the purple tier? I think, if anything else, this yo-yo effect has been more damaging to our demeanor than the pandemic itself because it gives us false hope. It’s like parents telling kids what they want to hear, but when push comes to shove, the truth comes out, not what they want to hear. It creates trust issues.
Aside from that, it’s good to venture back out into the world of the living, but hearing about some states dropping the mask requirement freaks me out. It’s too soon, people! Haven’t you seen the movie “Jaws” or “Jurassic Park”? It’s the red herring, people! It’s too soon! The fat lady hasn’t sung yet. We’re not out of the woods. However you want to look at it, the bottom line is, don’t drop your guard! Leave the mask on even if you’ve been vaccinated. This isn’t a game of chess. If you lose, you may not get to play the game again. Don’t drop your guard!
Since we spent months living in the effects of the virus, it’ll take time for us to heal and hopefully overcome some of the damage done. I’ve heard the loneliness, the emptiness, and the boredom people have felt throughout this year. Many suffer dearly from the lack of skin touching, and that alone is hard to overcome. I’m on the same boat as everyone. Hang in there just a little longer, people. There is light at the end of the long tunnel now. Don’t give up hope!
In the meantime, there are ways to battle the effects of the pandemic. It’s not too late. There’s a lot we can’t do or change, but we can control ourselves and what happens in our homes. Just a shift of your mind can make all the difference. It starts with one simple decision: to want to make a positive difference in your life. I get up every day, and I get dressed—ready to go out even if I go nowhere. This immediately improves my demeanor. I fill my days to advance my life. I keep people close. I chat with as many peeps as I can. I stay in touch with folks on social media and keep up with current events. Ignorance, in current times, is not bliss. I use my quarantine time as hiatus from regular life to better myself. It’s the perfect time to practice good habits such as learning and improving my skills, working out, eating healthier meals, and destressing. It finally sunk in with me that if I don’t take care of myself first, I am of no use to anybody else, just like on the airplane. We put on our oxygen mask first. Then we can help someone else. Same thing here. We take care of ourselves now, and later, when we return to living in the outside world, we’ll be ready to do good.
Many of us lack people interaction of some kind, but there are people everywhere when we are out and about. We may not know any of them, but they are living and breathing bodies who need the same thing—human contact. In my effort to make a positive difference, I decided the next time I’m out running errands; I would look everyone in the eye every chance I get and “see them” and greet them with as much kindness and love I can muster. It doesn’t matter what they look like, who they are, what they do, or where they come from. I’m giving everyone the same kindness that I would like. It’s amazing how many friendly responses I got back, especially when we hear about all the uglies in the world. It was especially because of all the uglies and the hatred spiraling out of control around us that directed my decision to do what little part I can to make a positive difference around me. My efforts were received warmly, and it made my heart sing.
I know all this doesn’t eradicate your sufferings, but hopefully, it would be a start in the right direction and put a smile on your face when you look in the mirror. Go ahead and pamper yourself with some kindness because you are worth it, and it’ll lift your spirits. It may not sound like much, but I’ve seen the positive difference kindness has made around me. We can’t change everybody, and we can’t change the world, but we can do our little part to better our surroundings. Simply being kind to ourselves and others can brighten up our days, so let’s live our life the best that we can and choose kindness but don’t drop our guard!
