Stephen Vance, Editor
This week, on this page, I should have been writing about the highly anticipated report from staff to council regarding the proposed pumped storage facility on the Meaford Tank Range, but instead, with no council meeting to attend and with the province on virtual lockdown, that plan changed.
Believe me, the last thing that I want to write about is COVID-19. I suspect that, like me, many others would be thrilled to never read the term again, but our current reality is such that a tiny, invisible-to-the-naked-eye virus has all but locked down the entire world, and we simply (and thankfully) don’t see this every day.
We have been eased into increasingly restrictive conditions here in Ontario. First was a simple raising of awareness that the virus was heading our way, which came along with suggestions for washing our hands and maintaining distances. Then came school closures, restaurant and bar closures, followed by the closure of any facility that sees large numbers of people gathered in one place, leading to this week’s announcement at all non-essential businesses must close for (at least) the next 14 days.
We should all be forgiven if we are a little mentally frazzled thanks to the events in recent weeks. We are simply not used to this sort of control of our daily lives, nor are we accustomed to so many restrictions, yet for the most part we have fallen in line to do what is best for the greater world around us.
That so many of us have quickly and without too much resistance fallen in line makes it all the more frustrating when we see throngs of Spring Break celebrants frolicking on beaches as if there wasn’t a deadly virus lurking.
In spite of our readiness to obey, many are feeling restless and trapped in their own homes. Under the current conditions, even inviting a friend over for coffee would not be advisable, so I have been seeing more and more ‘gatherings’ of groups of people ‘hanging out’ on social media; some have watched movies together, others have debated topical news items. The need for social interaction is very clear, we humans need each other whether we like to admit it or not.
As a highly introverted type (with hermit tendencies according to my doctor) I have found the whole concept of social distancing to be a gift, yet I do still like to interact with others. Though I am not a fan of talking on the phone, I did receive a phone call from a friend the other day, and she talked my ear off for more than a half hour. The hermit in me would have been satisfied with a five minute hello, but my 75 year-old extrovert friend was clearly experiencing cabin fever with not being able to gather with her friends over coffee, so I let her keep on chatting, and at the end of the call, I think we both felt better having simply spent some time sharing our fears and frustrations as well as some funny stories.
We will all find our own ways to get through the coming weeks of isolation and social distancing. For some it is a time to do a thorough house cleaning from closets to kitchen drawers (have fun with that), while for others it might be a time to take some hikes in the woods or to drop a fishing line in the water to pass the time. However we cope, we need to remember that, as difficult as it will likely be at times, these conditions won’t last forever, though I suspect it will last longer than the two or three weeks that many currently anticipate.
One thing is certain – there is going to be a lot of hurt in the weeks and months ahead. With businesses shuttered, and many facing financial hardship even before this crisis was thrust upon us, we need to be sensitive to what everyone around us is going through, but there is some consolation in the fact that we are all going through it together.
We live in an era when the vast majority of us can’t cover a $400 emergency; we simply don’t have the resources to do so. But this is a multi-billion dollar emergency, and rich or poor, we’re all in the same boat, and we are all going to hurt to some degree – how we help each other through this will highlight who we really are as a society.
The only advice I have for our readers is to follow the directions of our various levels of government, and to stay home as much as possible and keep your distance from others. But at the same time try to make the most of this down time – there is nothing to say that we can’t have some fun in these trying times. In fact, a dose of fun here and there is likely the best tool to get us through this while maintaining our sanity. So find ways to bring fun into your locked-down life, and in those moments of stress and frustration, just remember, you aren’t alone – we are all in this together.
