By Anthony Welch

Despite the COVID-19 stay-at-home and safer-at-home orders, the past few months have sort of whizzed by to me. While it’s been a challenging and strange time, it’s also been a great time to learn and reflect.

Here are some random thoughts and observations I’ve made through all of this madness.

Why is it when you go to the grocery store, the vitamin isles aren’t pilfered like the pasta and baking supplies? I think it’s important for people to be mindful of their health, pandemic or not. Maybe all this will make people rethink going to work with a cold or sending their kids to school sick. We should all social distance when we’re sick, even if it’s just a common cold.

It shouldn’t take a pandemic to remind us to wash our hands and do what we can to boost our immunity.

Through all of this, I’ve missed watching professional basketball. But it really reminds you that sports aren’t that important. I’ve always felt professional athletes are way overpaid. Essential workers deserve way better pay. Teachers deserve way better pay. Sadly, it took a pandemic to make people realize how important teachers are and how tough their jobs are. Simple, few-hours-a-day homeschooling has been a tough task for many parents (Including me).

All the essential workers who have exposed themselves to the virus throughout all this, keeping people stocked up with pasta and toilet paper, have been taken for granted for way too long. While many of us have been laid off or at home through the pandemic, grocery store workers still went to work and had to face additional adversities. Next time you make a trip to the store, go out of your way to be extra nice to the employees or say thank you.

In our world of instant messaging and texting, the pandemic has reminded me how nice it is to actually call family members or friends and talk with them. Connecting with family, especially those I haven’t been able to see for months now, eases my anxiety and gives me some comfort. Texting has become way too convenient. Hearing the voices of friends and loved ones is priceless.

Try and remember this is affecting all of us. Be kind to one another and help each other when you can.