Community Over COVID: A Letter to My Neighbors

With all of the technology, medical advancements and amount of information at our fingertips in 2020, I don’t think any of us ever expected to live through a global pandemic in our lifetime.

But here we are, four weeks into self-quarantine and in some cases, shelter-in-place orders. It’s hard to believe that the modern age could bring with it such a harsh reality in the form of a sweeping health crisis.

While other countries have been dealing with Coronavirus (COVID-19) for a few months now, it is only beginning to take it’s hold on the United States. Last week was one of the deadliest since the outbreak began in our country and the death toll is only expected to rise in the coming weeks.

It’s scary. It’s sad. It’s an invisible enemy and it’s redefining our idea of a “normal” life.

The majority of us are now living with uncertainty in our daily lives. We’re uncertain of our financial stability, of our family’s safety, of our future plans. We’re uncertain of if, or when, we’ll be able to live our lives as we had before.

But let me ask, when have we ever NOT had uncertainty in our lives? A lot of us live our day to day as if we know what tomorrow holds, but the truth is we never really know. It has always been a risk to live in the World we do. We will never know, with certainty, when we will get sick, injured, become unemployed, or take our last breath.

The only things we’ve ever truly been in control of are our attitudes and actions.

We are living in dark times, but we can be the light for ourselves and others. We can wake up everyday and choose to adapt, overcome and smile. There will be a tomorrow that is filled with sunshine, cross-country road trips, hugs and laughter.

It is perfectly normal and acceptable to feel anxious, overwhelmed, isolated, and unsure. But, fear is a liar and we will persevere. Do not live your life in fear as we navigate these uncharted waters. We are in this together, and we can be the good our community needs right now. Being isolated in our homes makes it easy to feel disconnected from the World around us. But I want to encourage everyone to pick up the phone and call your best friend, host a watch party for your favorite movie on Netflix, take a drive through that neighborhood you hope to buy a house in one day.

Just because we’re social distancing it does not mean we have to lose our sense of community. Physical distance cannot take away the kindness and love we have for each other.

Let’s Stay Home, Be Kind, and put our Community Over COVID-19.