We are almost five months into the global COVID-19 pandemic and so much is still unclear and mysterious. As the number of people who have been infected with the virus continues to rise, it’s yet unknown whether and for how long recovery grants immunity. It’s also unclear how infectious this disease is, with conflicting accounts and widely varying experiences for many people. Finally, the economic fallout from COVID-19 is starting to become frighteningly apparent; in many localities across the U.S., unemployment numbers have reached crisis levels in a matter of weeks, rather than a month’s long trudge into an economic downturn.
In these uncertain and unpredictable times, it can feel like there’s nothing left to do but panic. Instead, I urge you to take an alternative line of thought. While big things spiral out of control all around us, focus on attitude and the little things: tiny actions you can take every day to make an impact on yourself and those around you. Small things, like being sure to wash your hands, giving those around you social distance, and wearing a mask to protect others in case you’re a carrier, are shown to curb the spread of the virus. Such small actions, if done carefully and diligently, have the potential to make a significant impact on how the virus spreads and how we weather the coming months.
The importance of standing in solidarity with those who are losing the battle for their livelihoods is essential, now more than ever. As we all struggle to navigate these changing times, scrappy businesses are trying out new ways to go to market that haven’t been tried before. The attitude, ingenuity, grit, and tenacity and commitment of those struggling businesses doing everything they can to survive is an inspiration for us all. Making the extra effort to shop and patronize those businesses that form the backbone of our communities will pay dividends toward keeping our communities robust and healthy over the long term.
Finally, patience and kindness will become more critical in the coming months than it ever has been before. The idea that we’re all in this together is true but flawed; everyone’s coronavirus experience is different. Sometimes it’s lost loved ones or weeks of recovery to rebuild the health of those infected. Sometimes it’s mothers and fathers learning how to teach while they work from home or those who have lost jobs trying to navigate the overburdened unemployment system for the first time in their lives. Nothing could prepare us for how this is supposed to go. Making a real effort to give everyone you encounter patience and kindness goes a long way to healing the wounds COVID-19 is inflicting on us all.
The world feels like a different place now, because, fundamentally, it is; even with the creation of a vaccine or the achievement of herd immunity, there’s no telling how long we’ll be safe or what we’ll need to do to stay that way. Just know that as you look out into the world, heroes are still there to be found. From nurses and grocery store workers who dutifully show up every day to face dangers they can’t prevent or control, to the treatment plant operators who have temporarily given up the warmth of their families to stay on-site making sure we all have safe, clean water to drink, there are always those who inevitably give more than the rest of us. Focusing on the little things we can all do to stay safe is the least we can do to give back. WW
