I shared this on Facebook, and thought I'd share it here as well. I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it's not like that. We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa. For some, quarantine is optimal. A moment of reflection, of re-connection, easy in flip flops, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate financial & family crisis. For some that live alone they're facing endless loneliness. While for others it is peace, rest & time with their mother, father, sons & daughters. With the $600 weekly increase in unemployment some are bringing in more money to their households than they were working. Others are working more hours for less money due to pay cuts or loss in sales. Some families of 4 just received $3400 from the stimulus while other families of 4 saw $0. Some were concerned about getting a certain candy for Easter while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk and eggs for the weekend. Some want to go back to work because they don't qualify for unemployment and are running out of money. Others want to kill those who break the quarantine. Some are home spending 2-3 hours/day helping their child with online schooling while others are spending 2-3 hours/day to educate their children on top of a 10-12 hour workday. Some have experienced the near death of the virus, some have already lost someone from it and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don't believe this is a big deal. Some have faith in God and expect miracles during this 2020. Others say the worst is yet to come. So, friends, we are not in the same boat. We are going through a time when our perceptions and needs are completely different. Each of us will emerge, in our own way, from this storm. It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. Not just looking, actually seeing. We are all on different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey. Unknown author
Thanks for this reminder (and thanks to whomever wrote it)! This is affecting people all over the world in myriad ways.
That is absolutely right. I can’t imagine what will happen next fall in our schools. Some children have families that have incorporated distance learning into their lives while some children will not have opened a book since they left their school buildings in March. They are definitely in different boats.
We are definitely NOT all in the same boat! We're NOT all in this together! I was just talking with one of my neighbors (from a distance of 6 feet) that we are very fortunate that we have the money to have the "necessities" delivered to our front doors!
I love this! Thank you for sharing. I'm going to copy the text and put my situation into each paragraph, maybe even multiple times so I can document how our situation changes over time.
very thoughtful and considered prose and way to document the extreme differences in how this situtation is being experienced and observed from so many corners of the world and even within the same towns
I saw a similar post that likened this to a storm. For me, living on the East coast and having endured 6 hurricanes (though the worst was in Honduras), I compare it to that. Some get rain, some get wind, some the storm brushes past them, and others uproot to evacuate from the threat. Those who evacuate may return to find everything in turn key condition, where others find damage, or little left. But the storm came to each one, yet each one overcame.
This is wonderful, Cheryl! I love that you shared it. I can relate to so much of this... as I sit here at work. It's also a good reminder for me to be too hard on those around me and to realize that others may judge me without knowing anything or any of my reasoning.
Thanks for this! This is so true - and really came home for me when I was talking with a dear friend who is single and quarantined alone. This experience has been much different and more difficult for her than for me, also at home but still surrounded by people. It breaks my heart to think of those who are struggling to pay rent and put food on the table right now as well. Just trying to help where I can locally.