Excerpt from Old and On Hold (Cooper): Finding Opportunity during the Pandemic

FINDING OPPORTUNITY DURING THE PANDEMIC

Making the Possible Possible

We are older. We are vulnerable. We are taking our place as spectators of those younger and on the front lines of taking care of the ill and providing essential services. We are less able to see those who are working from home unless they appear in one of those boxes on the grid of people commenting on today’s news.

We are missing being with some of our favorite people and doing some of our favorite things, but, for the moment, we’ve right sized our life during a pandemic to meet the needs of our unique selves and those for whom we care.

No doubt we’ve had moments of what’s being called “quarantine fatigue.” A friendly grocery clerk likened it to the movie, Ground Hog Day, in which the same story repeats daily. Sometimes, we feel great progress is being made, and sometimes, we think it will never change.

Depending upon the extent we’ve been directly exposed to the tragedy of COVID-19, we may be wondering if safety measures are still necessary. They are needed indeed and will be part of the levels of opening businesses until a vaccine or early treatment is tested and in use or until we are no longer vulnerable, the latter being highly unlikely.

We may also be having small experiences with self-actualization when we take the time to return to and pursue our creative selves. We might enjoy the freedom of doing something for the sake of doing, not to make money or impress others.

Some people think of these pursuits as escapes and maybe they are because they allow us to visit just with ourselves, our curiosity, and our creativity. They are also opportunities to know ourselves and, perhaps, renew or set a different purpose in our lives.

The pandemic is exposing us to the most humane and the most inhumane aspects of our society. We are being given an opportunity. Our age brings vulnerability but it also brings years of growing wisdom.

Preparing the Post-Pandemic Ground

I’ve heard from many people who are enjoying the time to tend their gardens. I think of gardeners of the world who work in earth and manure to prepare the ground for beauty. I hope for the same spirit in me and my community as we prepare the ground to return to and rebuild our post pandemic lives.

Life will never quite be the same. We’ve shown that we can come together in a time of great peril. We had to go back to basics and learn new ways in a short time. People have and are continuing to learn the proper protocol to protect themselves and others; it’s becoming a habit that will contribute to the gradual safe opening of services and recreation.

We know or know of people who do not believe the science or are offended by the restrictions they believe are an infringement on their civil rights. Unfortunately, some have protested the precautions. It’s not fair to the grocery clerks and security personnel who are doing their jobs to ensure safety to be exposed to unmasked people yelling in their faces and worse into their eyes. These workers are among the “essential” people taking risks to their own health to provide services that allows others to be safe. Many of us can avoid being in the presence of people who choose to complain and ignore safety measures. Security personnel, grocery clerks, and front-line health workers cannot. We can do our best to inform others, especially those close to us, and to continually express our gratitude to essential workers.

We can plan and act to be aware of the consequences of the pandemic and how we might contribute to solutions.

We have and are learning so much about our world and ourselves especially our interdependence whether it’s in getting emergency medical care or having our food supply disrupted because of COVID-19 invasion of meat plants.

An uncounted number of people have noted the holes in our humanity exposed by the pandemic and how some groups, ironically named essential workers, are suffering disproportionately greater  illness and death than the rest of the population.

Here is our high-level opportunity to increase our own awareness of our complicated society of many essential people. If our health allows us, we can help plow through the ideas, hopes and dreams. We can express our views based on our values to our leaders at community, state, federal, political, religious, and business level. At our best, we can be cheerleaders for those who share our values.

All the above requires understanding our values, a task we cannot do, as Maslow tells us, until our basic living and security needs are met. Once met, and in moments of contemplation, try spending time and thought on ranking your hierarchy of values,

When does the weight of one value override the weight of another? Our country is having an important conversation on economy versus lives. It’s a complex, value-laden issue. What do we do with what we know now about our interdependence that turned out to be more harmful to some groups than others?

Given due consideration of our individual health and our economic security, we, the vulnerable elderly, have some measure of ability to contribute our time, thoughts and/or money to rebuild our world at home, community-wide or country-wide. We can show the way by balancing our vulnerability with our strength each day.

We may not live to realize the visions of the future, but we will have helped by doing our part as the vulnerable wise and the enormously grateful. Many of us are alive today because we were not exposed to the coronavirus thanks to stores and essential people keeping us safe or delivering essential provisions or thanks to care received from many people who put themselves at risk.

We are the generations who were part of enormous social, cultural, and technological changes. We are the generations who witnessed startling events of innovation and destruction. We do not easily give up hope in opportunity and the future. We know the strength and capability of the human spirit.

We’ve learned the value of people to each other. We need others, and they need us. We may feel more alone as communities begin to open while we are still staying at home for our safety until we hear a version of the “all clear” that satisfies us. However, as alone as we are in our home or may feel some days, we are part of the network of humanity. By taking care of ourselves, we are taking care of others just as we ask them to do for us. If you find yourself giving into despair from loneliness, reach out. Someone will answer. You have a story of life and wisdom to offer. This author would love to hear from you.

We are in this together, and we know, “This too shall pass!” 

To read more about this book, click HERE.




To read more posts about Bertha and her work, click HERE.