Coronavirus

Dear Elli,

This is one for the record books!  The Coronavirus is in town for the foreseeable near future, and we are living through a time that will most certainly be in the history lessons your children learn at school someday.  

These are really tough times.  Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better, and you will never forget this time in your life as long as you live.

Your dad asked me why I haven't written you a letter about this yet and believe me, I've been thinking about it for days.  But the reason I haven't done it until now is because I like to be diplomatic when I write to you.  I like to appreciate all sides of an argument and write like the nice, civilized woman I like to pretend I am.  I haven't consistently felt very nice or civilized about the Coronavirus.  

But tonight I'm drinking Mich Ultra, and at this specific moment I don't care about being nice or civilized.  I've got a mighty fine high horse sitting here with me, and I'm about to jump on this bad boy and ride it straight into the Coronavirus infested interwebs.  

Before I do that, though, first let me say that I absolutely 100% understand the risks of this virus.  I absolutely 100% appreciate those risks to myself, my family, my community, my state, my country, and the world.  I understand and appreciate both the health and economic risks.  This is bad all around.  Really bad.  

Second, I think it's incredibly important to say that I am so proud of our healthcare workers, our grocery store, pharmacy, food service, gas station, construction, waste service and every other essential worker out there handling business.  Those people are out in public every day, trying their best to keep us healthy, stay healthy themselves, and keep this train we call America from running off the rails.  You guys are the shit.  All of you.  

Your dad is working at Akron Children's Hospital getting containment units up and running so that infected kids (and probably adults by the time this is said and done) can get the best possible treatment, and I'm not sure I've ever been more proud in my life.  Your grandma is directing the social services department at the Salvation Army in Akron, tirelessly pushing thousands of pounds of food out to people who suddenly have no job, and I'm not sure I've ever been more proud in my life.  

I'm so damn proud of our family and all the other families out there on the front lines that I could burst with it.  And if pride like this is truly a sin, I'll happily burn in hell.  I've done plenty of other questionable shit anyway, so just add this one to the list.

So let's get to the other stuff.  The stuff that's burning my ass right now.  Hop on this high horse with me and let's ride, baby! 

First, let's talk about hoarders.  Hoarders of toilet paper, water, food, hand sanitizer, masks, guns, ammo, and anything else I may have missed.  Anyone who has an extraordinary supply of any of those things in their house right now, who has purchased those items within the last three weeks, is a pathetic puke of humanity.  

And here's another thing that burns my ass:  Your dad has come home from work every day within the past two weeks, telling me stories about construction workers on his jobsites who are going back to the union halls to collect unemployment.  On purpose.  Because they don't want to work.  These are young, healthy men.  I don't mean men who have immunocompromised family at home or who are otherwise choosing to stay home because of increased health risk.  I mean men who simply don't want to be bothered with work when our hospitals, and our country, need them most.  Men who are totally fine with leaving their coworkers and friends to perform crucially important work while they sit at home and consume Doritos and toilet paper.  I use the word "men" very loosely in this situation.  I really mean pathetic pukes of humanity.  

And one final item before I go back to my Mich Ultra:  Let's talk about volunteers out there right now helping people in need.  Non-profits are stretched thin right now.  People need help.  A lot of help.  And tons of volunteers have bailed on them, many for absolutely necessary reasons.  But guess who's left?  Guess who's out there right now pushing thousands of pounds of food out to people for the Salvation Army with Grandma Becky?  I'll tell you.  Old people.  I'm freaking serious.  

I had vacation time scheduled this week, so you and I went to help Grandma Becky for a couple days.  I'm not sure what I expected when we walked into that building to start heaving cases of food around in the gym, but I certainly didn't expect every damn one of the other volunteers to be older than my parents.  

Where are my people?  Where are the healthy twenty and thirty somethings?  3.28 million people are unemployed this week, and all we've got is a gym full of elderly volunteers at serious health risk helping the people who need us most?  That's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard in my life.  If not us, then who?  Are we too valuable to step up?  Are we really going to let our parents and grandparents put themselves at risk while we, at the least risk, sit at home and consume Doritos and toilet paper?  If that's the case, then we are pathetic pukes of humanity.  

I really hope my generation steps up in the coming days and weeks.  There are countless members of our generation who already are.  I hope the rest of us join that amazing bandwagon in any way we can.  I hope we stop hoarding things.  I hope we go to work if and when we can, whether from home or from wherever our country needs us.  I hope we step up to relieve the exhausted elderly volunteers everywhere at non-profits at every possible opportunity.  I hope we will look back on these days and be proud that we shouldered the load.  Because if not us, then who?

I love you.

Mom