Stay Home!
If you love me, stay home!
I was talking to my daughter in the wee hours of the morning, this morning on FaceTime. She’s in Ottawa, right now and has self-isolated to prevent she and her partner from contracting the virus. Not because she is worried for their health; they’re both very fit and active, healthy people, but for my health, her father’s health and the health of others who are older, or who are ill, or who are more susceptible. Also, to try and do her part to slow down the spread of this horrific disease and dis-ease. As I said in an earlier blog post, she forecasted this; she tried warning others weeks ago but people didn’t take it seriously enough. And, even though her friends in Italy told her TO take this very seriously, and she shared this information with others, we didn’t all heed this advice, as we should have. In fact, I’m also guilty of having underreacted, myself.
I guess my reaction was in part, because of my military and police training and experience, and in part, because of my faith. I knew that I would be okay, and that I would be able to protect my family throughout this, somehow. That, if it got really bad, daughter number one was still in the military and I was a veteran so, we would be okay. If it got really bad, I’d likely be called back to active duty with many other retiree’s and released members. I even balked at daughter number two’s search for gas masks; telling her to just go to the army surplus and get some military issued gas masks and canisters. Half serious, but also half joking. I couldn’t have been more wrong and now, I’m eating a very large serving of crow.
Not because I am sick; I’m not. Not because I spread the virus to others; I haven’t. But, because now that I’ve seen the full reach of this thing, I’m seeing how cavalier I was about it before, and how it’s spread as a result of this same attitude. How much could have been prevented, had we actually listened to people like my daughter, who could have inadvertently slowed this thing down; if only we had listened to them. We could still slow it down, if we start listening now. But, last night, I read an article on CBC, showing a line-up at EB Games in Toronto; people lined up and out on the streets of Toronto, in droves; not to get essentials, but to buy a newly released video game. A video game! How awful will these people feel if they were exposed to the virus for a video game? If one of their friends or family members contracts the virus, and dies, or passes it onto another friend or family member; who dies, because they passed it on to them? How will they feel, if that friend or family member dies; just so that they could get a video game? Seriously people; if you love them, stay home!
We have seen a lot of chaos and disaster in the world; but here, mostly from a safe distance. We have experienced suffering, and have gone without; but not globally. We have seen disease spread, and infect others; kill some. But none as badly or as quickly as this. We have never seen anything like this, in our lifetime. Not in the Western world, anyway. Nothing. Not an ice storm, an earthquake, or tsunami. Nothing. No other natural disaster or disease has effected as many people, globally. No other natural disaster or disease has forced so many into isolation, quarantine and lock down; everywhere in the world. Maybe this is why so many people are under-reacting? Denial? It’s never happened so, it won’t happen; here, to them, to their family or friends? It couldn’t get this bad, right? Sorry, but it already has. And, if we don’t start taking it seriously, and responding accordingly, it’s never going to end. Our world, as we know it, will be forever changed. Some people’s worlds, ended. So, if you love them, stay home!
If you love me, stay home. Stay home for my pregnant daughter-in-law; carrying my first and possibly only grandchild. Stay home for my friends with heart disease, cancer, diabetes and lung diseases; like my friend with Cystic Fibrosis, who has been fighting for her life since birth, already. Who doesn’t need an even bigger battle to fight; whose husband and three children don’t want to live without her. Whose mother, has already lost a child. Stay home for family’s like this who have already lost too much and battled too hard. Stay home for my children’s friends and family members who are ill or elderly.
Stay home for people battling mental health and addictions issues; who are working really hard, but are suddenly finding themselves without support and who are having to battle harder, just to stay sober, and well. Some, battling their own demons so hard before this, that they too, were fighting for their lives. Some have lost that battle, already. Some have taken their own lives, throughout this; and we’re just beginning. Stay home for their families, who need them but will lose them, if this doesn’t end soon. Stay home for those who are battling PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders and other mental health injuries; social isolation is already a part of their life so, they’re used to staying home; but it’s not healthy for them/us. They/we might seem okay but we need hope to keep going. Every day that you don’t stay home, and you don’t flatten the curve sooner than later, we lose hope. Without hope, some will lose their battles. Even if you don’t think the virus will kill you/them, understand that the resulting circumstances, surrounding it, might. That, it won’t be just the virus that takes out half of the world’s population, if you don’t stay home; some, it will be their own minds.
The current death toll is 11,000, worldwide. Stay home for my friends who are health care workers, first responders and front-line crisis workers. Stay home for my brother-in-law, who is a New York firefighter. Stay home for our Military members; like my own daughter, who will be the ones to respond when things go too far sideways. Stay home for our trades people; like my son, who are keeping our lights on, our homes heated or air conditioned (depending where you are), and keeping us comfortable while we’re staying home. Stay home for our food service workers; like my friends, and others providing essentials for us to survive this thing. Stay home and flatten the curve so they can go home safe and healthy to their families. Stay home so that they can continue; keeping us safe, well, comfortable and fed.
They're taking precautions while they're out there, providing for us so that we can stay home. They're being careful and practicing social distancing so we can see an end to this sooner than later. Stay home so that they can survive this and go back to some sense of normalcy, afterward! So, we all can! Stay home for them, because they’re staying at work for us! Stay home, so they can come home, too!
**The only way we are going to resolve this, is if those who can stay home, do. If you don't want to stay home for yourself, do it for others. Do it to end this sooner.
I stay home for my kids, my family and my friends. Who do you stay home for?