Looking back at the first few weeks of the Covid-19 Pandemic, it was heartwarming to see people pulling together. The video of people in Italy serenading their neighbors from their balconies brought tears to our eyes!
We were all a bit frightened of what the future would hold, but we still managed to show that we cared for the welfare and feelings of others. Handmade signs expressing gratitude for essential workers were seen in windows everywhere. Restaurants provided free food for healthcare workers. Young people did grocery shopping for their elderly neighbors. Assisted living facilities staff were extra creative to meet the emotional needs of their residents who were missing visits from family members. Young ones used chalk to scratch inspirational phrases onto city sidewalks to give
an encouraging lift to anyone walking by.
Some of the things that we did while isolated during the quarantine were similar to the ways that our parents and grandparents coped during war years of the past. During the long winter months of the pandemic, many families rediscovered board games. Some enjoyed them with a new twist! My granddaughters hosted game nights with friends via ZOOM! Families of the past spent many evenings gathered around games like Sorry! and Monopoly.
Many of us binge-watched series on streaming services. This also hearkened back to entertainment from years ago. Rather than staring into a screen, radio programs once captured the imagination of American families. We also found ourselves “tuning into” every news broadcasts to get the most current statistics and developments.
Enterprising individuals dusted-off their needle skills or learned new ones! Many spent countless hours stitching fabric masks for friends and family. I am personally grateful to four of my family members who kept me supplied with masks that were not only practical, but in FUN fabrics, as well! One of our park naturalists used her hours at home during the early days of “sheltering-in-place” to create masks for all of the park staff and for any of our volunteers who were still helping out. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the “Knit for Victory” campaigns that took place during the war. Home-bound women in Europe and the United States supported the war effort by making socks, vests and and warm scarves for soldiers in the trenches.
Working from home, coupled with the uncertainty of future food supplies, many took up vegetable gardening. Local plant nurseries were hard-pressed to keep up with demand for seeds and plants. This also hearkens back to those years of war and conflict when “Victory Gardens” were encouraged. Front yards and decorative flower boarders were called into service to grow veggies instead of roses.
Let’s not even go into the toilet paper shortage! But even that is reminiscent of the past when housewives had to change the way they went about their daily tasks to conserve substances that were needed in the factories. Tin cans and even foil was saved for recycling. Fashions changed to require less fabric and many foods were eventually severely rationed.
Sadly, also like the war years, as the months of the pandemic dragged on and some struggled with “battle fatigue,” we can be thankful that for many of us the battle was merely against boredom. And, we should never forget that this invisible enemy took away the loved ones of millions and changed the lives of those left behind forever. Please keep all of those affected in your thoughts and prayers.
