A few days ago at the market, I asked the lady at the seafood counter for a pound of shrimp. She glared and walked away to fill the order.
For a few minutes, her response to my ordering shrimp made me feel small — no pun intended. It never feels good to be treated like a nobody. Yes, she might have experienced a bad day. The Coronavirus epidemic has not only spread illness but many times also ill will caused by stress, feeling overwhelmed and, maybe in her case, being mistreated by equally stressed customers.
It’s easy to feel angry during these trying times. Having our lives changed and feeling isolated contrast to our daily comfort levels. We are a country of convenience. We are a people of hard-working people who have freedoms in the greatest country on earth. We expect to be liked and loved for those are innate expectations first felt on our very first days on earth. We work hard and want to continue working hard. It is especially difficult when the lives we know and our daily routines come to a screeching halt. It can be absolutely traumatic.
We do, however, have the choice of staying positive and being nice to others. Or, we can be miserable and burdens others with that incivility.
Which path will you choose? Misery or civility? The choice is obvious.
The Coronavirus might be going viral but so can our goodness to others.
Additional reading:
Finding offseason scenic bliss in southern Maine
Discovering a century old, family-owned market in Methuen specializing in English Pork Pies and hard work ethic
During the Coronavirus, have you seen people exhibit incredible acts of kindness? Please share your stories in the comment box at the bottom of this page.