How to find positivity during the COVID-19 pandemic

By the time this is published, so much will have changed in reference to Coronavirus.  Will we still be on mandatory home isolation, being allowed only to leave our houses to go to the grocery store or for medical reasons? Or, if God-willing, will things have calmed down, even just a bit, so that our children can once again go to school or, at the very least, play outside with their friends and neighbors? Coronavirus, or COVID-19, has hit many of us hard and its impacts will continue for the foreseeable future.

When COVID-19 first made its way into the news in January, it was a problem in China. For some of us it, it was barely a blip on our radars. We may have briefly glanced at the photos of Chinese students going to school with masks on, but quickly clicked on the next story of the day. That was what I called STAGE 1 - Barely Aware. We went about our lives blissfully unaware of the dark and uneasy days ahead.

Fast forward a few weeks to when winter break was upon us; this is when STAGE 2 began. The Barely Aware Stage became Slightly More Aware, especially for those of us who had travel plans. My family for instance, was preparing for our annual winter visit to my in-laws in Florida, and then were boarding a 4-day cruise to the Bahamas. This was early February. I’m not sure that I thought twice about Coronavirus as we readied to board the plane. I recall seeing only one person donning a mask. and maybe it was because this passenger had a cold? Or perhaps she always traveled wearing a mask because of a compromised immune system? I certainly couldn’t say she was taking that precaution because of COVID-19.

When we arrived in Florida, there was no visible signs of concern for the virus, at least in the areas we visited. Restaurants were opened, public masses were being said, and you could still go to the gym for your daily workout.  But, by the end of that first week, as more information surfaced and became available, we found ourselves contemplating the cruise. Afterall, cruise ships were notorious for breeding germs – did we really want to take that risk? But then we quickly reassured ourselves that the ship would arguably be the cleanest it had been in a long while because of the looming threat of Coronavirus. In addition, I would travel prepared, thanks to a handy Facebook page I found that was dedicated to the very ship we would sail on. Passengers who had traveled, or who were currently on the ship, provided a myriad of useful tips: bring a can of Lysol, bleach wipes, hand sanitizer, and wipe down all surfaces and doorknobs – we got this, I mused.

So once again, we prepared ourselves to board, this time, the cruise ship. I anticipated that check-in could take a while, not knowing what the procedures would be because of the virus. Surprisingly, we saw not one person wearing a mask, and the only special requirement was to fill out a questionnaire asking if we, or anyone we were traveling with, had traveled to China recently – well that was easy, NO.

So off we went on our Bahamian cruise! The ship was spic and span and it seemed the crew was always wiping something down.  There were hand sanitizing stations throughout the vessel, although we noticed, to our disappointment, there wasn’t a crew member stationed outside of every dining hall, dropping a dollop of sanitizer into your hands, with the instructions, “washy, washy.” We easily participated in each of our planned excursions, enjoyed a shopping trip in Nassau, and took part in several of the ship activities. Fortunately, we survived the trip without incident and arrived home safe, sound and healthy. We were still in Stage 2, Barely Aware of COVID-19.

Then late February arrived and news of the virus’s detrimental impacts to Italy were circulating, and for some, its threat became more imminent. The virus was spreading – it wasn’t just China’s problem anymore. In fact, my work colleague received word from a family member who lived in Northern Italy, where the outbreak was then happening, that schools were closed for several weeks. Enter Stage 3 - Should I Pay Closer Attention to Coronavirus? 

As the weeks went on, my colleague’s family shared more and more information about the restrictions being placed in in Italy. School was now closed for the rest of the year. Her husband, who works for the public transportation system, was reporting to his job in full protective gear, including a respirator mask. Police were also manning the streets, as leaving your house had been restricted to supermarkets and other essential outings.

I found myself googling COVID-19, in search of more concrete information, other than its name sharing with a popular beer. Armed with more facts about the virus, I predicted to myself and to anyone who would listen, that it was just a matter of time before there was an outbreak of Coronavirus in New York. Afterall, cruises were still setting sail and planes were still in the air, bringing folks all over the world. Now was the time to start being more mindful of washing your hands, I told my 13-year-old son. I was definitely paying closer attention to COVID-19.

March 1 seems to have been a significant turning point, with the first report of COVID-19 in New York State, and sadly, it’s been spiraling out of control ever since. Every minute of every day brings monumental change, making it mentally impossible to process and keep up with it all. This stage can be called This is Not A Joke.

So much has transpired over the last several weeks – the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled for the first time in history; all schools were closed; most folks have been ordered to work from home, weddings have been postponed, and all nonessential businesses shut down – the list goes on and on. It begs the question – how do we get through it? How do we transition from the life we have become accustomed to living, to what is the new norm? Gone are manicures, happy hours and taking your pet to the dog park – at least for now. And while it all seems like doom and gloom, we must look for a rainbow, or at the very least, try.

There will be good things that come from the outbreak of COVID-19, like getting to spend more quality time with your immediate family. In my house, we sat down and played a board game together for the first time in…I don’t even recall!  I also hope we will become more mindful of the food we consume, being more conscious when we consider throwing out that half sandwich that we just had to have, but then decided didn’t we didn’t really want in the first place – that can help reduce food waste. There’s also been a resurge in appreciation of the Great Outdoors. Just look around and witness the overwhelming number of people walking their dogs, running, riding bikes – this can’t be a bad thing.

I also find that there isn’t this sense of urgency that existed before the onset of COVID-19, especially for parents. This time of year, we struggle with the spring sports schedule, between practices and games. We play tag team parenting, since we both work full time, which means most weeknight dinners consist of a trip to one of our local fast food restaurants. At least now, with one of us at home because of the mandates, there is a home-cooked meal on the table, most nights anyway.

These may seem like small points, but they are the points that are keeping me sane. I do know for certain, that there are some things that will remain the same during this time of enormous uncertainty, like the seasons changing. Look outside and see the daffodils blooming and cherry trees blossoming. A thought that has crossed my mind many times during this ordeal, is perhaps this pandemic was God’s reset button – a way for us humans to relinquish our desire to control everything and just be.