Covid-19: Choose Love
Okay, guys I wasn’t going to make a post about Covid-19 but here we are… I’m choosing to write something because I am sooooo sick of seeing people posting about others not following the “rules” for social distancing and judging others for things like going grocery shopping more than once a week or for going outside with more than one person. I get it – you are frustrated. I’m right there with you. This whole thing is scary, and we don’t know how to handle it because there is no guidebook for us.
We want social distancing to be over soon and things to get back to “normal” and we’re frightened. I understand that. I get that you want your life to return to the way it was before, but the sad reality is that it’s simply not going to happen for the foreseeable future. I don’t like it any more than you do.
It breaks my heart that new Moms are stuck at home without being able to share this exciting and hard time with friends and family and lean on people to support them during this time. I get sad every time I think about a bride needing to postpone their wedding, a day that they have probably been thinking about forever. I get sick to my stomach whenever I think of people who have literally poured their entire heart and soul into their business and now, they don’t know how they will afford to pay the bills because they have no income and these Government Grants are not helping everyone out. Don’t even get me started on the injustice that is facing the families that are part of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Community – it is enraging. So believe me when I say, I truly feel for everyone. I sometimes lose sleep over this whole pandemic and have so many questions. The unknown is a scary thing for many of us.
With that said though, many people need to check themselves. QUIT JUDGING everyone. You have no idea what people are going through and it is not your place to pass judgement and decide what is common sense for strangers or even people you think you know. This is a time where we need to be showing empathy, grace and kindness towards people. Not calling them out online for showing up to a grocery store with their kids. You don’t know their story!! Maybe that person you see is a single mom who has no alternative but to go to the store with her kids because she can’t have her family or friends over to watch them. Maybe she is out of milk or formula or diapers and yes click and collect and curb side pick-ups are an option, but it takes nearly 2-3 weeks to place an order online right now and sometimes you just can’t wait that long. Maybe she can’t phone in because they can’t afford to pay their phone bill this month because she also just got laid off.
When you see two people out together, maybe that person has a disability and needs help shopping, there are a lot of disabilities that you can’t see from the outside. Or maybe a family emergency came up and they are grabbing a few things to help out, because guess what those still happen during a pandemic. Maybe those people just came from an appointment and live out of town and figured it’s easier to just stop in since they are in town, so they don’t have to make another trip later in the week. Or maybe someone went out with their kids because they don’t have a supportive partner like I have or maybe if you’re lucky you have. Maybe that person is in a domestic violence situation and this is their one moment to get out of the house for a break from the abuse.
So please, stop thinking your way is the best way because there are people going through so much more than you will ever know about. You don’t have to like it. I don’t always like it. I don’t like this entire situation that we are in. Who really does? It’s frustrating and it’s sad. The reality that this might be going on for a year or longer until a vaccine can be mass distributed sucks. The thought of possibly not getting to see my parents until this is all over is extremely upsetting. So I get it. I get that this whole thing is messy and stupid and we just want to feel a little bit in control of a situation we have zero control over. But I assure you that spreading hateful messages and sharing your judgemental opinions all over the internet are hurtful, not helpful. If you want to control something in this pandemic, control your actions. Try choosing a kind one.
When people aren’t following the “rules” that literally change every day and are nearly impossible to stay on top of maybe spend less time judging them and more time just doing your part to stay safe. Of course, it’s frustrating when we see people doing things that we wouldn’t do. It’s frustrating when you talk to someone and they don’t take this pandemic as serious as you do. But how they live their life is not up to you. So just do your best. Focus on yourself and your own family. Keep your judgements to yourself. Practise gratitude for what you have. Trust that the Universe has a way of working out even in these dark times. Take a bath. Get some fresh air. Scream as loud as you can. Hug your kids. Have a dance party in your kitchen. Punch a pillow. Do something that brings you joy. Just find a way to get through this that doesn’t result in you directing your anger at another person. We’re all in this together. We are taking this one day at a time. Choose kindness. Choose forgiveness and grace. Choose love.