Be Brave.

Be brave. That’s what I want to say to everyone. Let’s be brave and bold. Let’s get outside and breathe some fresh air and feel the sun on our faces. Even if we have to wear a mask. Let’s move on now.

I think the fear is the worst part of this pandemic for me. I understand that it’s deadly many times. But I also understand that a lot of people get well. And that others have the virus and never know it. So, then, yes, there’s the danger of passing it on. So wear a mask, practice social distancing. Be smart about it. But be brave.

I don’t think cowering in our homes is the answer. I grieve for the elderly that have been dying in nursing homes. I am not even sure what that’s about. I mean, I know they are more vulnerable because of age. It’s harder for your body to fight off anything when you are older. But why are so many dying in one institutional building after another? Maybe we need to take a closer look at how our nursing homes are being run across this nation.

In the midst of March’s cold and gray for many states, I get why you would keep elderly people inside. But an open window and some fresh air once in a while only helps. And now that it’s warming up, can we please get older folks outside? Please? The virus does not like the sun.

We need to get people back to work. There’s another group my heart is breaking for – the small business owner who has no customers and had to let his or her tiny staff go. The restaurant owner who is no longer making ends meet and will have to close the doors soon. No one is buying enough take out food or delivery from these restaurants to survive, not to mention their staff that was laid off because there is no one to wait on.

Medical professionals are being furloughed! How does that make sense? Why can’t we start operating on people with needs before it becomes an emergency and life threatening? Why can’t we take care of the people with life threatening illnesses who are delaying going to the emergency room because they don’t want to get the virus? But then they die at home of a heart attack or asthma or who knows what?

Let’s be brave. Let’s be hopeful. Let’s take sober, thoughtful precautions. But let’s get out of our homes. And let’s get some exercise and put on some real clothes that can be seen in public. So we can have a little self respect and feel like we are not prisoners in sweatpants waiting for the warden to let us go free.

Let’s be brave and offer Church services again. Sit 6 feet apart and don’t hold hands or hug. Wear masks, but gather as community. It will do us so much good. We don’t have to go to ballgames yet or concerts, sadly. But we can get out. Even movie theaters could let people in and couples or families could sit together with 2 empty chairs between parties.

It could work. I don’t know how many movies Hollywood has in the can, but there have got to be a few. Heck, show old favorites in theaters! Just give people a place to go to get out of the house. Give us a reason to show how brave we are. Not fool hearty, not irresponsible.

Just brave. This will only last as long as we decide that the science they’re selling us makes sense to us. But it doesn’t to some. Why quarantine the healthy? Why not quarantine the sick and the vulnerable, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions? The rest of us can get out there and wear a mask and wash our hands but be brave.

Let’s be proud of ourselves for being responsible but careful. I have talked to too many workers in ‘essential jobs’ who are barely making it because their hours have been cut and there is not as much business. Let’s help them out. They are already being brave.

If I can go to the grocery store or the liquor store, why can’t I go to an electronics or home improvement store? Why can’t an office worker go to work? Why can’t clothing stores have customers?! I touch fruit and vegetables in the produce section of my grocery store that I don’t buy. Someone else is touching it, too. Why is that OK?

I’m just asking some basic questions because I am tired of being told I should be very, very afraid. I don’t want to be anymore. I want to be brave. But I can’t be brave unless others join me. What do you say? Let’s be careful out there, but let’s be out there.

Let’s be brave. Life has risks! Every time you get behind the wheel of a car and drive on a highway, or ride a bike in traffic, or go for a walk where snakes live (we see a lot of those signs out here in California) you are taking your life in your hands. Every time you open a jar of something that’s never been opened before, you are risking your health or that of a family member.

The home is where most accidents occur. But we still live in houses with stairs we could fall down, and electricity that could shock us, and water someone could drown in. Some people have jobs that are very dangerous. Cops, firemen, Military personnel, pilots. Heck, every time we fly, we are risking falling out of the sky. It happens. But we still fly.

I’m just sad for our country. We used to be daredevils and risk takers. Now we are afraid we might get sick. And, yes, some people will die. But more likely we’ll just get sick if we’re not very elderly and have no other serious illnesses. Let’s be brave. I’m tired of  living in a country where too many people are afraid.

Our economy cannot sustain this level of inactivity. Too many people will no longer have jobs or businesses, or careers. How is that a good thing? Don’t let others intimidate you. I think we can demand better numbers. How many people who are diagnosed with the virus actually die? How many people who are hospitalized die? How many had the virus and don’t know it, either because they were asymptomatic or they had a bad cold and didn’t get tested?

Let’s stop being afraid. Let’s be smart and let’s be brave.