This morning a greeting on a fellow author Jane Tim’s blog caught my attention. So many people are ending a conversation these days with Be Safe. This global pandemic is on our minds and lips and in our psyche to be sure. But Jane’s greeting spoke loudly to me this morning. This climate of mask shaming, arrow tension, guideline confusion and continual debate regarding freedoms has us on edge to say the least. Daily news reports fuel this deep debilitating fear and turmoil we all feel. Lock downs, talk of vaccines, government inaction as well as interference, medical advice, medical debate, conspiracy theories and death counts keep this fear roiling. Kindness does not always abound and even an angry pointing to an arrow on the floor on ones first trip into the Wal-Mart after four months of staying clear can leave you feeling upset and confused. Uniformed officers directing you through a processing line before allowing you to enter your home province while necessary and responsible is off putting never the less. I do understand the need for protocol, for guidelines and recommendations . Not being a person overly worried about germs I slowly came to take this crisis seriously and have tried to adhere to the daily ( ever fluctuating advise). I do however see holes and discrepancies in the guidelines. I will not get into the doubts I have in systems that were already hugely flawed dealing with this massive challenge. But again I return to kindness. In a world where bus drivers are beaten to death for asking passengers to wear a mask, and leaders of large countries suggest ludicrous cures and show heartless indifference we know kindness does not always rule the day. But please in families and communities and in our own hearts, step back and take a deep breath and be kind. The tag line ” We are all in this together” might be getting old but I for one don’t want to have to slog through this madness by myself without the love and support of the people I care about. Be well, be safe, be smart but above all for the love of God be kind!
