By Judy Cools
A year ago, you never would have believed it if someone told you what today would look like. And here we are. I won’t rehash it; you know all too well how Covid-19, the coronavirus, has changed the world.
We began with over-the-top hypervigilance, wiping every door handle and light switch we touched, washing our groceries: canned, packaged, and fresh. We know now that it was too reactive, but the caution didn’t hurt anyone, aside from a little lost time. And yet, it changed our awareness forever more.
Masks came along. We know some Asian countries have used them for years, due to pollution and as a health measure. But many Americans have gone kicking and screaming into this health safety measure.
“Violation of human rights!”
“No one is going to tell ME what to do!”
Hold up a minute, there, folks. It’s just a health precaution. Those of a certain age (yes, me) will remember similar outrage about wearing seatbelts. People tucked them down in the seat, refused to wear them and squealed loudly in protest. Tempers boiled over when seatbelt use became mandatory.
“It’s my right to choose to get killed in an accident.”
“They’re dangerous – they’ll trap you in a burning car!”
About 50 years down the road, you rarely hear a complaint about using a seatbelt in Michigan. You get in your vehicle, you buckle your seatbelt and you travel. It’s no big deal.
The same observations can be made for the ban on smoking in public places. Again, almost no one even bothers to talk about it anymore. It just is.
And what has happened here? What is the magic ingredient that has made seatbelts and no-smoking zones an everyday thing, while masks are the hot topic on the street and in the news?
Simple: it’s time. The passage of time has taken the fire out of resisting a seatbelt. As our kids grow up, we teach them the rules, (whether we like those rules or not). They grow up using seat belts and knowing that smokers can’t smoke inside buildings, and these small changes in society are the biggest non-issues ever.
It looks like masks will be the norm into the indefinite future. Not for any political statement, as some claim, but because they protect against this persistent, sneaky, deadly virus. In another generation, it will be an accepted daily healthcare practice, like cleansing a wound or brushing your teeth.
Other things in our daily lives are changing as well. Social gatherings are stopped or greatly curtailed. Graduations have become drive-bys, weddings are a minimal, outdoor family affair. Most gatherings have been outdoors – an option that may be fading for the less hearty as the colder weather moves in.
Hardest of all, perhaps, are funerals. At a time when a person’s spirit struggles to endure the loss, there are no hugs, no community meals, no gatherings to tell stories that will commemorate the lost one’s life and sustain the mourners.
In daily life, we’ve lost the handshake when we meet someone and the hug when we see a friend. The elbow-bump is a feeble substitute, but at least it makes a connection, a human contact.
Humans are social creatures, and we need to take proactive steps before we develop a personal crisis from so much social distancing and isolation. Yes, do the elbow bumps. Do the Zoom meetings. Write letters that you actually send through the mail – something the other person can hold onto. So much the better if it’s hand-written. Personal contact!
Remember that isolation and distancing do not mean you’re stuck at home and on the couch. Go take a walk. Visit a park or the beach. You can socially distance and still enjoy a great view and a little exercise. Remember to fill up those reservoirs of sunshine and fresh air, beautiful vistas, changing seasons – especially if you spend winters in the north. And if the weather is not to your liking, then explore from inside the car.
The point is to keep living and enjoying life, but to do it safely. Keep happy and hopeful energy within yourself, in your home, and in your family. We’ll get over the hump of this ugly virus as best we can, together – while apart.
