If you've known me for any length of time you know that I always tell people that there is only one person in this world whom you can control and that person is YOU! For the most part, I try to remember this philosophy when we are faced with turbulent times. I think you would probably agree that we are in the most turbulent of times right now.
I'm feeling a range of emotions right now as I face the start of the Holiday Season. Thanksgiving is next week and the range of feelings that I'm wrestling with right now come from the emotional side of my brain that says I, "I miss my family and I want to be together with them to celebrate with our traditional Thanksgiving family gathering." The other side of my brain, the intellectual (Left) side of my brain, says that, "COVID is real, it's pervasive and it's making its way through our country like a California wildfire!" The converging thoughts that I have are tied to true, also real, notions that, after months and months of strife and vitriol, I was hoping that Thanksgiving 2020 was going to be the time for my family to bond and gather. We were going to breathe a collective sigh of relief with the understanding that the election and the global pandemic were now behind us. Once again, I have been proven wrong!
As of this writing the election has yet to be certified and we are under the restrictions placed on us by the latest Public Health Order which has us sheltering in place until November 30, 2020. We are still a nation divided into factions along scientific lines which are either, for or against, the COVID safety protocols (CSP) we are all being asked to follow. Everywhere you look you can find people who will vehemently support whichever camp they are in.
Pro COVID Safety Protocol people say that you mitigate the spread of the virus by wearing a mask, remaining socially distant and closing down the county for business. Con CSP people say that the infection rate of COVID is very low and it is less of a threat than the influenza virus that we worry about so much. Frankly, both sides of the coin have some valid points and I understand the merit of all of them, however, it's important to focus on the one thing that both sides can agree upon.
We all want to get back to normal where we are able to greet our friends on the street downtown or go to the park for a game of catch or frisbee. We want to see our stores filled with tourists who have come to our town to shop or visit and then go home with some of our local objets d'art.
Like all of you I want to get together with my friends to watch the Independence Day Parade or forget about life for a while during the Silver City Blues Festival. I want to open my front door to trick or treaters and be the host of my own little contest that lets me think, "what's the best costume I've seen so far?" and I want to fill my house with the smells of food and the laughter of preparation at Thanksgiving time. I want to make plans to go to my friend Fred's house for his annual Christmas party with my children and grand children and act surprised when Santa Claus walks in from that very same door where "Uncle Fred" mysteriously exited. I want to play the social juggling act with 3 different holiday parties on the same night and make sure we plan to "make an appearance" at each one.
The 2020 holiday season will be like no other season we've ever had before. We are in the midst of a battle that is raging from every front. The enemy we are fighting recognizes no age or gender and it is an equal opportunity infector. Some might tell you that it affects people of color disproportionately and, since we have such a high portion of our population which are people of color, we should be aware of the dangers of COVID 19.
As I said before, I can only control ME and my own actions during this global pandemic. I know it's hard to stay away from family during the holidays but that is exactly what we need to do. I'm not going to ask you the hypothetical question about what if you are the person to infect Grandma with COVID 19 at your family gathering but I will tell you that I don't want to prepare for a funeral of a family member or friend who died from COVID complications. I don't want to tell my kids that Papa went to Heaven because he got sick from COVID. I certainly don't want to spend another year doing what we've been doing for the past 9 months!
This holiday season abide by the "Shelter in Place" order and stay home! Only go out if you absolutely must and always wear a mask! Reacquaint yourself with hand sanitizer and use it often and religiously! I understand that if each of us works to control ourselves between now and Christmas Eve then New Year's Day could truly be the day that we always imagine it to be; a day filled with excitement and anticipation for all of the new things we plan to experience in the new year!