Publisher’s Letter: Becoming An Everyday Hero!

Pressed to the wall, our frontline hospital workers are witnessing the devastation of Covid-19 and how an ICU patient cannot even have their family by their side. At their darkest hour, with the exception of their attending overworked hospital staff, critically ill patients are frightened and alone.

First responders are coming forward in ways we could not have imagined. Stretching to heroic heights, they are being called upon to do far more than their jobs. Extending love to their patients in the absence of family, hospital personnel have shared that they wait till their long shift is over to collapse in tears. Heroes of our time, working hard, at great risk to themselves, to save every life they can, firefighters and police personnel now face a hidden danger as they step out in the forefront to protect their community while endangering themselves and their families as never before.

And yet, these times require acts of kindness and small acts of heroism on the part of all of us.

First and foremost, do your part. Practice physical distancing, clearly shown to be slowing the progression of this virus. Wear a mask or face covering when going into a store or when encountering other people where you cannot be at least 6′ apart. Don’t hoard, but shop less often so that you reduce the number of people you are exposed to as well as others being exposed to you. We are facing a powerful and insidious enemy — well before you have symptoms, if you are positive, you can be contagious!

Come forward and give! Identify somewhere where you can personally contribute.

For example, encourage and support the people around you along with people you don’t yet personally know. Start with neighbors whom you have seen regularly for years. Leave a note in their mailbox with your contact information along with a kind offer to assist them in some way.

Make donations of food or money to our local food banks that are being called upon as never before. The craft-worthy among you can make masks for friends, family, neighbors, and hospital workers. Make a call to your friends to see how they are doing emotionally in the midst of all this. These times call for a deeper level of kindness and compassion than mere words on a screen can convey.

We can all do something. Contact a friend and arrange to take a walk with them, practicing physical distancing, armed with your mask or face covering handy in case you come across other people at close proximity on a trail. Consider your older relatives who may not be computer-literate — call them and write them a snail-mail letter that will arrive in their mailbox — imagine life without them (as they are among the most vulnerable in these times) and show your love for them now while there’s still time.

Consider how you can identify and meet the many unmet needs that exist in these extreme circumstances.

Get creative as to how you will contribute to the greater good. And when you do, write [email protected] and let us share with our readers how you are working to become an everyday hero helping us all survive and flourish during a time like this.

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Blaine Howerton