Respect During This Pandemic

Hey guys,

How’s your quarantine going? What have you guys been doing? I’ve been writing. I’ve watched a couple of movies, (yes blind people do that too) and I’ve been going on walks. Can we please talk about how awesome it is that artists are doing live stream concerts lately? If you need something good to check out, Kelsea Ballerini came out with a new album, Kelsea. It’s really good so you should give it a listen. Let me know what you’re doing these days and what you think of the album. While I personally believe it is good to be informed and stay on top of the news, I think we need to also find other things to do. I wanted to make a post about the importance of respecting one another during this crazy pandemic we’re all living in. Once this ends people are going to teach future kids about this part of history. Before I get into the main point of this post, let me say a couple of things. Guys, I get it. We all get it. The world we’re living in right now is scary. People are often comparing this pandemic to World War II and the Great Depression. Did any of you ever like the American Girl books? Addy was always my favorite, but lately I feel like I’m living out of Molly or Kit books. Molly lived during World War II and Kit during the great depression. This virus has caused lots of disappointment. I’ve had concerts canceled. I have to watch where I go as we all should be doing. My twin left early so we couldn’t hang out before she left. My other friend had to cancel an amazing trip because of this. I was telling this particular friend the night we talked how important it is for us to feel our feelings. It sounds silly I know, but it’s true. Once I learned it, I’ve been suggesting people do the same. As friends (insert other relationships here) whoever we are to people, I believe that we need to meet them where they are in moments. And they should learn how to do that for us, too. I had a few people do that for me, and trust me, it changed everything for me. I can bless it forward because of that small handful of kind students and professors who entered my life during college and took it upon themselves to meet me exactly where I was.

For those of us with disabilities or for older folks, this virus also feels scary because we’re putting others at risk when we have them go to the store on our behalf. For me personally, it’s mostly older people who help me anyhow, so I just have another thing to add to my prayer list.

Next, we need to talk about panic buying. Guys, stop hoarding. If everything is taken, that’s selfish and you’re doing more harm than good. Is that what we really want right now? Especially right now? What saddens me is how I keep seeing people online all talking about when they see empty stores, they think they should buy in a panic. What’s with everyone acting the same? I get it, we all go through it sometimes. In college so many people did it. They all had the same jackets, etc. I’ve gone through it too, thinking that being like certain people might get me treated differently if I got “in” with them. I just got to a point where it doesn’t matter if I’m “in” with them anymore. Let’s be our own people and think of others please.

Remember at the beginning of this post where I mentioned respect? Let’s talk about that now. Sadly, lately I’ve seen people talking about how mad they are that people are taking so many precautions and canceling events. It’s crazy, but it’s happening for a reason. Lets all do our part in slowing the spread of this crazy virus. Whether you follow the news or get your information through others, I’m sure by now you’ve heard everyone saying to flatten the curve. This is so important so we aren’t over whelming our hospitals. Please respect that my (or someone else’s) version of cautious might not look like your version of cautious. That’s fine, but please don’t automatically assume people are in a complete panic because they’re living out what their version of cautious looks like. Please wash your hands. Take this seriously. Try your absolute hardest to not touch your face. For me personally, when my eyes really hurt, (I know there’s blind people feeling me on that at one time or another) I just flashback to a funny memory when one of my best friends, Helene, was doing my make up saying, “Don’t touch your eyes! Really. Don’t touch them. Even when they hurt. Promise?” On behalf of those of us like myself who are at a higher risk for this virus, please, stay home. And tell others to do the same.

Stay healthy and think about your decisions please.

Miranda ❤