One way my life has changed in the past two weeks is that I have pulled away from social media quite considerably. I used to love to scroll through posts, catching up with people, sharing their celebrations and victories, and chuckling at memes.
But these days it is overloaded for me.
I realize that this is, for most of us, our first pandemic. I’ve never lived through anything like this before. My mom has never lived through anything like this before. It’s a lot to take in from an emotional and mental perspective. I realize the need to stay up to date and in the know, but I also know that I’m tired of not seeing much of anything else.
I know that I need to stay home. I know that when I go out, I need to stay six feet away from anyone. Wash my hands, don’t touch my face. It’s not lost on me that COVID-19 lives on cardboard for 24 hours and survives on plastic and metal. I know that my mother is more vulnerable because of her age and her asthma. My kids aren’t visiting friends or playgrounds.
And I also know that sometimes I have to go out. I’m in my car at least once a day because I will lose my mind if I don’t escape from these four walls. Sometimes we go for a drive. Sometimes we go for a cup of coffee. Sometimes we drive around in circles. And I’m tired of being made to feel that someone is going to die every time I have to leave my house. I’m not out there coughing and sneezing on people or rubbing up against strangers in the toilet paper aisle.
Changing Minds
The constant screaming online of “stay inside! People aren’t taking this seriously!” is keeping me away from social media. At this point, I feel as if talking about social distancing is like talking about politics: If you haven’t changed anyone’s mind by now then you’re not going to, and I think we could all benefit from taking a break from talking about it.
I can’t imagine the stress of being an essential employee and being constantly bombarded with the message of, “We’re all going to die if you don’t stay home.” Mom guilt is one of my least favorite pastimes, and I can’t imagine being a mom, leaving my family while I go to work and the world is screaming at me to stay home, dealing with the fear and panic and stress of working with the public now, and then trying to deal with the emotional and mental stress of the whole situation.
I can’t imagine being promoted from a low-wage earner to a low-wage earning essential employee in the first place, let alone trying to juggle so many spinning plates. I have read a lot of “people are stupid for taking their kids out” posts and there’s usually that one single mom who quietly sneaks into the comment section to point out that some of us don’t have a choice. But we’re quick to assume that everyone is leaving their homes as a conscious act of rebellion without thinking about the many reasons why people have to do what they do.
I read the same kind of comments when the bus line began offering free public transportation; instead of appreciating the service and what it does for people who need it, the comments started about how stupid it was because people had to sit too closely together.
Maybe we should take a deep breath and realize that there probably are very few people who don’t know the risks and the guidelines. Maybe we should stop screaming and name calling on social media at those folks who leave their homes more than we think they should. Maybe we should realize that we don’t know everyone’s circumstances and should stop assuming that we do.
We need to come together now more than ever, and this has really just started. The state of Virginia is on a stay home order until June. This is the second day of April. So, maybe we should realize that we all can’t stay at home. We all don’t have the same resources available or the same levels of privilege. And maybe we should go back to posting funny memes, at least every once in a while.
Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Stay home if you can. And show me your funny memes.
Onward,
Amy Jo
