Good afternoon friends. I know that we are all looking for the beauty in life right now and believe you me I am looking for it too. No one wants to read a rant when they came to read about books, recipes, etc. These are unprecedented times so skip this post if you want, it will not hurt my feelings, although I am pretty sure that I am going to say some of the same things you are thinking.
I am blessed, I work from home, I live in a nice house, I am healthy, I have food, and so much more. Staying home is not a hardship for me, I am a homebody anyway. That said, I know that there are many people suffering, in my town, from my yoga studio, in my family. Some have lost their jobs, and frankly the places they worked might never reopen. Small businesses that they built with their blood, sweat and tears and their last dime are days away from going under. People are hungry, and starving, literally starving, in the land of plenty. Others are drinking, taking drugs. Women and children that used to have a few hours a day away from abusive relationships are now stuck inside with their abuser 24 hours a day. I cannot even imagine the terror of that. Our elderly population that at the best of times feels a little neglected and lonely is now isolated and feels as if they are forgotten. People are in the hospital suffering all by themselves, and god forbid they succumb to this or any other disease they die all alone. Depression is at an all time high, even people who have never been depressed are now suffering. Suicide rates are up.
I could go on and on and on about the suffering. My frustration is this, people are starving and yet stores are throwing away food, millions of gallons of milk are being dumped, fields of fresh food are being tilled over! What in the heck? If you told me I could come to your fiend and pick berries I would be there with a mask, and gloves and 6 feet away from my friend. There are organizations that will come to your fields and pick the produce and then distribute it to people so why the waste, which happens at the best of times but most especially when people are waiting in lines 10 miles long to get food?
Hours are day are spent updating us, as things change on a minute by minute basis. Yet for all those that are taking in this information and taking care and distancing themselves there are more and more who are not and they are out frolicking at the beaches, standing next to you at the store with no mask, no gloves and not a care in the world for anyone but themselves.
There is not a person in this country that is not suffering or disappointed. I understand disappointment, I am not minimizing it but I am getting a little tired of reading blog post and news articles about “suffering inside” celebrating a 30th birthday in which your fiance baked you a cake, catered in a beautiful dinner, ordered bouquets of flowers, has champagne, and a wall of balloons and a pile of gifts, including a Hermes bag. Or a celebrity or billionaire “isolating” on his in his 20,000 sq. foot house or giving up 50% of his multi -million dollar salary.
I am sorry that your wedding was postponed, it was postponed, not canceled. I am sure it will be beautiful on the rescheduled date. I am sorry that your planned trip around the world this summer was also postponed until next year. Cancelled are proms, graduations, games, and funerals and so many other moments that people will never ever get to experience.
Perspective people, lets put things in perspective.
I hope that you have a wonderful day. It is raining here so I am working from my couch with my two pups both trying to sit on my lap as I type. I will close this by saying there is so much to be mad, sad, disappointed, and frustrated by but the little things in life are the things to be most grateful for. Time that you will never get back with your family, pets, and yourself. Find the little joys in everyday.
I hope that you stay safe, well and if you need help reach out.
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You are right. The food thing is tricky. I was listening to a program about food supply chains and how the industrial size packages for restaurants and schools and work cafeterias and all the other big outfits can't just be changed in a flash to household size. They don't have the right containers, to start with. It requires finding new suppliers for all that, ordering, getting delivery…it takes time.
There's enough food for everybody but it almost never is evenly distributed. Even the rich might spend more on fancy ingredients or on having somebody cook for them, but in the end, 2K calories is 2K calories. You aren't going to consume much more than that. 2,500 calories? Not a big difference as far as total food in the world.
I like a little escapism and positivity, but it's true that some people seem to be gloating. I spoke to a relative who is working from home on his acreage. First, he still thinks the virus is either a hoax or even if real it's overblown. People in cities deserve to die, according to him, because cities are bad and why he lives in the country (but if everybody lived on acreages, we'd really have a mess). The extra unemployment benefit is terrible–people won't want to go back to work. Everybody is lazy. Lost your job? Apply at Amazon, he says. He is still working, but he forgets that most of the people at his factory lost their jobs years ago to robots, which is why the place is still running (and making something that's terrible for the environment, but he says climate change is a hoax). It all makes me wonder what the future holds when the haves feel so deserving and that the have-nots are to blame.
All true Elizabeth, that’s why I shall never moan about this situation we all find ourselves in as it is no hardship for me. I don’t have to worry about a job , we have a garden and food and don’t have to be on the frontline. I am grateful to all of the doctors, nurses, porters, cleaners, bin men, supermarket workers etc etc who are looking after us and putting their lives in danger for us…. and I feel for all of those who will lose their jobs, houses and are suffering in so many ways. Hopefully, sometime in the not too distant future, we will all get back to some sort of normality and people can start to rebuild their lives. XXXX
Some people are simply prone to look at life as a glass half empty. My ex was like that. He could find disappointment in the most wonderful of things. These people need to learn a little hardship then they might gain perspective.
Brenda