Contributed by Randi Perlman
We are anxious. We are tested. We are torn.
We are loving. We are giving. WE ARE STRONG.
We are hunkered down, at a distance, stand-offish, but with purpose. We are six feet apart, but a community united, doing what’s required to keep ourselves and each other safe. Our wide-open and well-spaced Valley is helping us play out social distancing, while neighbors and strangers are reaching across to bridge the gap.
Situations and circumstances like the unsettling one we’re living thru right now bring out the best in humanity. They show us the stuff great hearts are made of, and bring forth the ideas and ideals that will shape our future. The way we come through this challenge will forge a tighter, closer community, with a greater understanding and appreciation of how tough, yet how fragile, we can be. It will humble the mightiest of us, show us we can live with less in ways we never imagined, conjure up resources we weren’t even aware existed.
These hours at home, or wherever we are sequestered, will allow for the flow of creative juices, out of which will likely come exquisite works of art, many fine writings and bestselling books, an explosion of online businesses and new social media platforms. While some may feel bored and cooped up, others will see this as a rare opportunity to relish and put to good use the one commodity there is never enough of: TIME.
Time to sleep-in or take naps whenever we feel like it; time to re-connect with family, old friends and acquaintances via phone or other technology; time to learn a new skill or polish up an old one; time to spend with our in-home family group and pets, or maybe adopt a pet; time to do with as we see fit, whether that’s to read, meditate, binge watch TV, listen to music (or create some), take a walk or drive to some of Alaska’s finest offerings and find solace in nature, or just sit in the rocking chair on your front porch and let your mind wander.
Time can also help rekindle the romance. A surge of happy babies will likely appear late next fall, and we will want them to become part of the healthy, vibrant community they deserve to be born into.
As we navigate these murky waters, now is a great time to re-vamp your resume to help procure that great new job when we can all re-join the workforce. It’s also a good time to work on that science project that’s been whirling around your brain and that you just KNOW will make a difference, or to map out and develop that novel [pardon the expression] business idea that can change the world for the better.
In essence, we have the time to let our imaginations run wild, to work on unconventional solutions to age-old problems, to use our logistical prowess to invent new modes of travel that transport us to magical places. The possibilities are exciting, and endless, but our time is not. Sooner rather than later [we hope], this too shall pass, and life will return to some form of ‘normal’. Kids will go back to school, we will return to work, the economy will begin to recover, and the medical field will do what it does best and find a vaccine for COVID-19.
Take advantage of this brief moment in time, while we are held hostage by our desire to stay safe, and put it to good use. Make note of our cleaner air from fewer vehicles on the road. Do something meaningful. Be kind to your neighbors. Take care of your elders. Open your home and heart to a stray dog or cat. Donate to the food bank. Celebrate the High Holy Days of Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. Churches are streaming services online. The Mat-Su Jewish Center is providing seder to-go kits. Many groups are finding new and unique ways to connect and get the message out. Keep the faith!
Beware of the scammers, because uncertain times can bring out the worst in humanity, too. Our hearts mourn for those we have lost in this battle; we mustn’t lose sight of them. But we are Alaskans, and we are tough. Let’s come out of this as a species enlightened, as an even stronger, acutely aware, less complacent and more united community than ever before - we owe it to ourselves, and to our future.
