When the news first really started to break about the Coronavirus, I was less than mildly interested. I’ve never been one to freak out (and I’m not saying it’s bad if you do) over germs. Some people just happen to be more concerned about it than others. But, as time went on, things got weird.
Right before everything hit lockdown mode, I took my kids to a trampoline park. My oldest was home from college and I thought it would be a fun way to get some exercise. We were literally the only people in the building save four other people. It was fantastic. We didn’t have to worry about bumping into anyone, we could jump with freedom and I could try all my stupid tricks without being self-conscience. Yet, it was odd being the only people around and it felt a little end-of-the-worldish.
Then the next day, my husband took off work to spend time with the whole family and we decided to go to the movies. Again, save three other people, we were the only ones there to see “Call of the Wild.” Good movie, btw. But, once the movie was over, we all looked at our phones and realized that the world had full-up tilted while we were kicked back watching our movie. Disneyland had closed. You know when Disneyland closes things are dead serious. The NBA was done for the year. My best friend had texted me pictures of shelves at the grocery store that were bare bones. Also, my daughter’s college had sent out an email saying that school was closed and everything was moving to online courses.
It was a lot to process. As things started to progress, I began to feel a little overwhelmed and anxious. I stressed about how much tp we had and in a moment of panic I ordered a case of Japanese toilet paper. I found it way at the bottom of the Amazon listings of toilet paper. It was way too much and it doesn’t work on our toilet paper holders, but, hey, we don’t have to resort to socks and shredded t-shirts…yet.
Then, I worried about food. I googled the trees in our yard to see if the leaves are edible. We got our spring veggies planted and I was a little relieved. “Whew,’ I thought, “at least we will have some food coming in from the garden.” The next day, the plants were all dug up and destroyed by squirrels. They didn’t even eat the pants but instead just tore them out of the ground like a bunch of brats! My grandpa told me he ate squirrels during the depression. Hmm….
Then, my oldest got an email from her college telling her she had to come get her stuff out of her all-girls’ house stat or they would throw it all away. Since my husband can’t leave the local area (military), it was left to me to drive her there and help. It was like a covert mission: Get across state lines without being detected, grab the goods in an hour, make it out of the state without catching the ‘rona. That’s what the young people call it–the ‘rona.
So, we high-tailed it from Ohio to Kansas. We ate our packed lunch in a gas station parking lot. If we had to use the bathroom, we slathered ourselves with sanitizer once back in the car. Our behinds hurt from not being able to really take a break on the 10-hour drive. Once we got to her college house, we had exactly one hour to clear out her room before her roommate showed up. Roommates weren’t allowed to clear out rooms at the same time. We basically had to enter the house looking like the hazmat team in the movie “E.T.” My mom was there to help and we quickly chucked things into boxes so we could make the time limit. As we were leaving, my daughter’s roommate showed up for her turn and the two air hugged their goodbyes. It was terribly sad.
On our way back to Ohio, we listened to Mass in the car. That was most unusual and my heart hurt but we made it back safely. As the Little Einsteins would say, “Mission Completion!”
In the days that have followed, time has become elusive. It seems like 900 years ago that talk of the virus started when in reality it’s been not that long. I feel we’ve been in lockdown for years of my life and I begin to imagine this is how it will always be. I think it’s safe to say we will never experience another Lent like this one. From Ash Wednesday to now, our lives have been turned upside down.
To add to all this, everything is so confusing. Some people say it’s good to let your kids be feral now that their lives are in turmoil and other people say to schedule things down to the nth degree. Some people are taking a full-blown ride on the conspiracy train. Some people are wildly fanatically about locking down the world for like a year and if you even try to mention that we may need to get people back to work at some point, they will virtually slay you and filet you. Pro-abortionist politicians are preaching to us that “all human life is precious.” What the what? I mean, yes, all life is precious, but I wonder if they can see how the words coming out of their mouths don’t jive with their support of abortion. Some people are telling us in snippy little memes that “our grandparents were called to war, all you’re being asked to do is sit on the couch and watch Netflix.” But, that’s not true. Some parents are now having to homeschool their kids with no time for preparation. It’s easy for me, I’ve been doing it for years. However, I remember how crazy it was when I first started and how unnerving it felt. Other people have been forced to give up their jobs and they are scared to death about how to support their families.
Here’s the thing: All this is one big fat mess. It’s just a mess. Nobody honestly knows what they are doing and I believe most leaders are trying to do what they feel is right. Will they get some of it wrong? Yes. Nothing can prepare you for dealing with a pandemic. Will we all look back someday and say, “Ahhhh…but we should have done this”? Yes. We will all be wonderful Monday morning quarterbacks in the near future.
All of us feel out of control and we are trying to create control where there is not much to be had. Not many of us are used to this feeling of unrest and uncertainty. For those of us that lived through 9/11, we know the feeling somewhat, but this is still different.
The truth of the matter is that this pandemic will either make us better people or worse. The only thing we all can control is ourselves and our families. What we do each day will determine how our families look at the other end of this pandemic. In one way or another, God will get our attention. Many times, what gets our attention is a stripping down. For years and years now, we have all been sitting high on the hog lapping up our comforts and pleasures. We’ve been so full of ourselves that we’ve decided to play god when it comes to reality, morals, and life. We are finding out now that mostly just the basics truly matter–faith, family, friends, work, and community.
For most things, the middle ground is probably the best place to be. Stay informed but don’t obsess. Include structure to your family’s day as we don’t need to teach our kids that we fall apart when hard times hit. However, it’s also a time to be flexible, lenient and relaxed with how our days unfold. This is not a time for total somberness nor is a time of dismissive jokes. We need to be aware of the seriousness of the situation yet give ourselves permission to laugh in order to ease stress and anxiety. We shouldn’t be wishing for any political “enemy” to contract the virus, to do so makes us cruel and calloused people. We all should be united together in an effort to lessen this virus with common sense and compassion.
How we approach our faith during these times (or any time for that matter) can’t be a middle of the road approach. God can strengthen our faith during trials. As Catholics, we have a great arsenal of weapons to fight fear, doubt, hopelessness, and even boredom. What will help us keep our cool is pulling out our rosaries, cracking open the Bible, participating in Mass online, listening to our spiritual leaders, offering up our sufferings for those who are worse off, and seeking to be grateful for even the small things during bleak times. What will stave off a heart full of fear and despair is reaching out to those who need to hear a friendly voice and finding ways to help out our communities in any way we can. We will have to be creative but God gave us keen minds for a reason. And I would also add that if you need help, ask for it. This is not a time to try to do it all alone–we need each other.
St. Pope John Paul II once said, “Prayer joined to sacrifice constitutes the most powerful force in human history.” Wise words from a wise man. I’ll keep you all in my prayers, Catholic Pilgrims, please keep me in yours.
