My kids in the heart of the pandemic. We felt stress; we felt imbalance; we felt uncertainty and fear of the unknown. But our circumstances remained mainly the same and likely would have, even if we became sick. My experience is not relatable to many of my fellow Americans, and it feels important to keep that in perspective.
My COVID reality has not been the norm. It’s been stressful, but we have stayed employed. We have had the ability to isolate for work and school. We receive medical bills and can pay them- eventually. All this may end because these are merely my current circumstances.
I am thankful for a childhood that showed me different lifestyles, instilling in me an understanding of various realities. Even so, my ego is always in the background, eager for me to forget.
Let’s be wary about our egos. Let’s lay them down and be in reality, so we can understand that things often go one way instead of another merely due to circumstances.
Circumstances are not signs of superiority, nor are they necessarily signs of the norm. We are not inherently deserving of our circumstances; for example, my medical insurance is better than my children’s teachers’.
Egos make us believe our reality is the “way things are.” Ego blinds us to facts.
Reality changed for all in 2020, but some already lived in a reality that would never have allowed for the best medical care, the option to isolate, or the ability to stay home with kids suddenly receiving online education. Life quickly changed for teachers, civil servants, custodians, nurses, doctors, restaurant owners holding on by a thread with servers coming down with COVID-19, grocery store stockers, clerks, baggers, and managers. Countless others were affected, as well. And, my God, single parents had to work, teach, and even do both simultaneously.
Those of you who had to suppress severe anxiety and hide the symptoms at work—you who did not have the luxury to be unafraid. You could not hang out at home and wait things out. You know you are not promised top medical care.
Your reality was and is not mine. So as a Christian and a human wanting the best for our country, my work is to avoid deeming something “harmless” simply because it does not harm MY life as significantly as it may harm yours.
Friends, let us honor those who grieve their dead and are otherwise dealing with the traumatic aftermath of having their lives irreparably changed, instead of meeting them in their grief with narratives about how “strong, smart people” would not worry about COVID.
It is the very least one could do.