In One way or Another, This Pandemic has been Hard on us All

The COVID-19 pandemic has made life hard for so many, it has caused historic levels of death, illness, and financial collapse within the United States and across the globe. The ways in which lives have been turned upside down and destroyed are many and the solution to get things back to normal are few or in some cases, unclear.

Whether you are a business, an athlete, a parent, a student, or just a person trying to live your life, there is one thing that we all have in common in this pandemic and that is that this has made life much more difficult or in some instances, stop altogether and for some it has sadly made their lives end completely, never to begin again.

The last pandemic was bad (as they all are), but this one that we are currently in is much worse and not to be a negative voice, but the evidence is clear, this is not going away anytime soon, and it looks to be catastrophic in the coming days, weeks, and months as we battle our way through this trying time for our nation and our world.

The life we live today is very different than the lives we all lived prior to this pandemic hitting us like it has. The world we will live in when this is all over will look very different than the one we had before this all started and that is just something that we all will have to accept and get used to as this virus in all likelihood will be with us for some time, longer than we all had thought was even possible.

Sporting Events

Sports brings people together, they give us hope when we go through trying times, and they unite people through racial, political, and cultural lines during the most trying times. Post 9/11 sports are what gave us hope again and when tragedy struck our country , it was sports that brought us back together and helped us heal.

That is different from what is happening now. During this pandemic we do not have our teams to comfort us or give that much needed distraction and the sports heroes that we so admire do not have the games they love to play and get away from it all.

The employees that work at the sporting arenas across the country (and the world) are out of jobs, sporting networks have failing networks, and the teams and leagues are financially struggling to remain afloat as they lose millions a day in lost revenue from empty stadiums and the games being postponed with no start in sight.

Restaurants and Bars

The livelihood of millions of Americans. How they put gas in the tank and food on the table. Also, the relief that many get when they have had a hard day and want time to dine and wine and enjoy the small moments in this thing we call life.

This is our restaurant and bar industry and it stopped in a brief moment when this pandemic began, putting millions out of work in a flash and leaving people to wonder when and where their next meal is coming from while leaving a nation isolated with nowhere to unwind.

This has been one of the more profound and devastating effects of this lockdown and pandemic and one that has caused our economy to take an instant nosedive.

This is part of the bigger picture of what is next to discuss of who has been hurt by this pandemic.

Record Unemployment

It was not just the restaurant industry that has suffered job losses and financial ruin. 22 million Americans and growing have lost their jobs and face uncertain futures. There have been so many who are struggling, we have lost their businesses, and who are broke because of how this virus has shutdown an economy that once was thriving.

The next step is unclear for many. Some have their jobs still, but many have lost them and do not know what to do. Businesses do not know when they will reopen again or if they will at all and the next several weeks and months are sure to test the spirit of the American people.

The virus shut it all down. People with real lives and real problems lost it all or about to. This is all bad and these people do not know what they will do as we move forward but nothing compared to the ruin those who have contracted the virus and lost loved ones face and will face as this virus continues to tear through this nation.

Death and Sickness

So many have died from COVID-19 and many more are sick and facing death as we move forward in this uncertain new reality that we all face. The 40,000 plus who have lost their lives and close to 800,000 infected in the US and more than 2-million worldwide now have the virus that has wrecked havoc on the United States and the world.

This death and sickness not only impacts the ones who lost their lives, lost loved ones or battle this virus, but it impacts our first responders who put their lives on the line to treat the sick and comfort their loved ones while putting right there in the midst of the mayhem of the virus that is taking life after life.

Everyday Life

There is so much pain right now and lives have changed so much for the world as we deal with this pandemic. We talked about how we lost sports, how our economy has fallen apart, how we no longer have our outlets of going out to dinners and drinks and the people serving us in those places no longer have their jobs and income.

There is more though, people no longer have their entertainment outlets like going to the movies, concerts, recovery support groups, and so much more and so many are struggling emotionally and financially as this thing continues and gets more complicated and worse by the day and the end of this life and a return to our normal life seems far, far off.

We hurt in many ways. Our future remains uncertain and the pain that many of us are going through is real for each one of us. Our views on politics and other things suddenly do not mean as much as we all are going through some real struggles as this pandemic continues and the fear of getting sick and losing our life gets bigger with the passing of each day.

Conclusion

These are difficult times and this virus has destroyed life as we once knew it and not to be bleak, but we are just in the beginning stages of our new lives and our new reality but, we must come together (apart) and do the right things that ensure our safety and support each other (apart) online and over the phone so that those who are scared and broken can be okay and that we can get through this challenging time and be who we were and better before it began.

We all have suffered from this virus and the lockdowns, some more than others, some much more. The lockdown is hard, but the fear of getting sick is even harder and for those who get sick from COVID-19 and hardest from those who have lost their lives from this unpredictable and dangerous virus that is destroying everything around us.

This has been hard for all of us!

We all are in this together whether we are sick, afraid of getting sick, or just feeling isolated and frustrated by the lockdowns that have closed down more than 90% of the nation.

This is the time to unite and help each other, to comfort each other, and to get through this together.

The future is uncertain and scary, the life we had before may never happen again, but we can recreate our lives in the middle of the chaos and after this is all over with but we must do one thing before all else and that is to accept the way that this country and world is today and do what we can to stop the spread of the virus, stay safe, and practice the social distancing and clean hygiene steps that will keep us all safe and keep us from getting sick.

What we can most of all is to be with each other and for each other as we find our way through it all!