//Just a quick - if a bit long-winded - note as we deal with this crisis:
I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for tomorrow. My state is headed into a state-wide "stay at home" order. Which means tomorrow is going to be utter chaos and I'm going to have to deal with a shitton of bitchy people. I was tired from the moment the announcement was made. Mentally and emotionally exhausted. I felt any and all restoration not working today had brought begin to fade immediately as I was faced with the prospect of what work is going to be like tomorrow.
I work in retail pharmacy. Which puts me right on the border of healthcare and retail. I'm in a grocery store chain, so we do have normal retail in the building as well. For the last few weeks, up until Friday afternoon, we've been so busy I feel guilty for even taking the time to eat during my shift. And after observing the behavior of people dealing with this crisis and the toll it's taken on myself and my coworkers, I would implore you all to remember to be kind.
I am required to report to work during the stay at home period, because pharmacy is healthcare and therefore considered essential. I do not have paid sick leave. I cannot self-quarantine out of fear for my own health (I'm immunocompromised and have breathing issues and am therefore at higher risk of infection and complications) because I cannot afford to miss work and possibly be fired. The only way I can miss work without losing pay or my job is if I'm diagnosed with COVID-19 and instructed by a healthcare provider to self-quarantine. And even then, I have to have documentation and can only be out for 2 weeks. So while I'm grateful that I still have an income, as I'm aware so many people have lost theirs due to everything going on, I wish it wasn't at the possible expense of my health or life.
So as you're dealing with all of this, I would ask you to remember one simple thing: be kind to each other. Be kind to the retail worker at the grocery store who has probably already been cursed at multiple times that day about the store being out of toilet paper. Be kind to the pharmacy technician who has probably already been accused that day of wishing sickness upon people for enforcing rationing limitations. Be kind to the doctor who has to tell you that you can't come to the office for their safety and yours. Be kind to first responders who are putting themselves on the line even more than usual right now. Be kind to other people affected by this crisis.
Remember, you don't know what anybody is dealing with at home. You don't know what they've dealt with that day. You don't know what anybody else's fears or worries might be. I look young and able-bodied because my health problems are of the invisible variety. And there's no way you could know by looking at her that one of my younger coworkers has a father she can't see right now because he has stage four cancer, being treated with chemotherapy, and she can't risk exposing him to this. My point is, even on a normal day, you have no idea what anyone else is juggling.
So you have a choice when dealing with others: you can be kind and help alleviate some of their stress, or you can be cruel and be the straw that broke the camel's back. You may not know just how much a kind word - even if it's just "thank you" - can mean. I've literally gotten through the last few weeks thanks to the people who have taken the 10 seconds to ask how I'm doing or tell me they appreciate that I and my coworkers are keeping essential services running as daily life around them begins to shut down. If you think I'm exaggerating, I promise you I'm not. I've been incredibly stressed out during all this. There have been numerous times that I, like most of my coworkers, have had to step back for a moment and take a second to calm down enough to stop crying because one too many people have been nasty to me about things I can't control. The ones who have asked me how I'm doing or how my day is going or even just said "thank you" have been just enough to keep me from quitting. I've been so concerned about my own health and the possibility that I might expose my mother (who is older and also has breathing problems) to this virus that quitting has been extremely tempting, even though I and my family can't afford it financially.
We're all in this mess together. At this point, pretty much no one is unaffected by this. So when you have a choice to make, please choose to be kind. Help each other where you can. Even if that's just checking in on a neighbor or sewing mask covers. (And yes, that's a thing some hospitals in my state are asking people to do, because shortages of medical supplies are so severe they have to reuse disposable masks.) Even if all you can offer is a set of hands or even just a kind word. We're all stressed out and scared, so when given the opportunity, try to be kind.
To quote Twelve: "Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind."
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