The coronavirus is getting worse. According to LiveScience, our country is now becoming the epicenter of the virus. We’ve had more deaths and more people contract the virus at this point than anywhere else. And, New York state is at the heart of it. I’m not proud of that fact but it is a fact.
I’m upset for all of us. I’m also scared for all of us especially our mothers, our fathers, sisters, and brothers. And, I feel especially nervous for our health care workers. But, I also feel bad for my millennial children.
Why?
I started to think back in my life before my 30’s. What happened? Were there any major traumatic incidents that happened that changed who I am?
There was the Vietnam War. But I was way too young to understand what was going on. Then there was 1984 when the world was supposed to turn on its head. It never did. Then, of course, the year 2000 when all the computers would go haywire, but that didn’t happen. So for me and my generation, we walked away unscathed by global and/or environmental catastrophes.
Then, I had children. Today, I have two amazing children plus my daughter’s fiance. (I know they aren’t married yet, but I still consider him my son.) The coronavirus makes me feel sad for them and for the rest of their generation.
First the World Trade Centers
Our children have seen way too much in their lives, especially if they were raised in New York. Just think, my kids were in elementary school when terrorists crashed into the World Trade Centers. I remember my daughter telling me that she could see the World Trade Centers burning outside her classroom window. How horrifying!
I had a meeting that day at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County and on my way home, I saw it too. I parked the car on the Loop Parkway heading back into Long Beach and I cried as I watched the buildings burn. I knew then that the world would change.
And, it did.
Superstorm Sandy
Once my daughter went to Syracuse University and my son was still in High School, we had another devastation hit our area, Superstorm Sandy. I’m still not sure why they called it Superstorm because its devastation was fierce.
This was a horrendous time for anyone living on the south shore on Long Island, especially those of us who lived in Long Beach. The bay and the ocean met. Our boardwalk got destroyed. And, FEMA was there along with the Red Cross giving out food. Our homes were destroyed. Our cars didn’t work because of the saltwater. And, it put so much stress on everyone.
To top it all off, my neighbor’s house burned down in the middle of the storm.
I was in Florida with my son when the storm hit. My mother had just passed away and we were helping my father get organized.
My husband was at home. He tried to salvage what he could that was on our first floor but it wasn’t much, just the golf clubs and the skis. Everything else was thrown out because of the water damage.
We all needed to rebuild our homes and our lives. It was a very sad time for all and there are still some people rebuilding, 8 years later.
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Now, we have COVID-19, the coronavirus. And, yet again our millennials are right in the middle of it. This virus is affecting everyone, no matter how old or how young.
At one point, someone said on Facebook, “do you know of any person who has the virus?” This was posted a couple of weeks ago and at that point, I didn’t know. Today, I know at least a dozen people who have the virus and those numbers keep going up!
My children living in NYC are on lockdown. They can’t leave. This should be the happiest time for them since they recently got engaged a week before lockdown and yet, how can it be?
My son came back home from Orlando to work from home while Orlando is on lockdown. He made it out in the nick of time.
So, here we are on lockdown. Not sure what’s going to happen and how many deaths there will be today, but if you’re reading this, you are alive. And, I am grateful.
What will our world be like?
Not only will we continue to be paranoid that there may or may not be another terrorist attack or environmental disaster, but now, we have to confine ourselves to our homes and become germaphobes.
I just wonder if there will be a time where I can hug my children, friends and loved ones again…
I would love to hear your thoughts.
