Dear Covid

I wanted to send this letter to you with hopes to shed light on a few things. First and foremost, I wanted to thank you for opening my eyes to things I might have never seen before. The truth is we live in very strange times, which is namely because of you. But then again, you already knew this.

Thanks for the cheaper gas prices, by the way. Thanks for the drop in violence. And thanks for the forbearance plans, which means very little at this point but still, thanks for pointing out that our attention to detail is not what it should be.

Thank you for the essential workers and the people that go otherwise unknown. Thank you for the truckers and the distribution plants. Thanks for the mailman and the UPS guy that drives past my house and smiles. I would like to say thank you for the overpriced steaks I received from Omaha, which were tasty but not as great as they should have been.

I am an essential worker, which means I head to my “day job” and report to the city every other week. I am an engineer, Local 94, and proud to be Union Strong. I am thankful for this because I am employed and have good health insurance. I am grateful that I work in a careful environment. I work with people that realize we are not just essential workers; we are essential people, which means we have families, friends and people we love.

Thanks for exposing the fact that yes, no matter what happens; our society will never see eye-to-eye and that someone will always disagree. Thank you for the new Facebook doctors that never went to medical school and yet, they know everything there is to know about you and the virus you’ve spread. I want to thank the social media know-it-alls that re-post false information on their social media page. And thanks for the conspiracy theorists that say you are fake and that you are really the government.

I wanted to say thank you for putting life into perspective. Thanks for providing clarity on the fact that here we are, with all of our privilege and advancements, and yet, we still don’t know what to do. Apparently, we don’t know how to settle our disputes very well either. But then again, I’m sure you knew this.

I’d like to think that some of us have drawn closer together because of you. I’d like to believe there has been a beautiful display of humanity since you’ve come around. You’ve taken from us. Make no mistake about it; you have taken lives. I know this first hand because a man I work with lost four people in his family to you. He lost three in one week and then he lost his sister a week ago today.

Thanks to you, no one is paying attention to any other health risks. We forgot about our problems because we’ve only been focusing on you; which is not to say that I blame you. I’m not calling you an attention whore or anything of the sort, but yet, it amazes me how easy it is to distract our attention. Suddenly, there is no such thing as cancer or heart disease. And I’m sure the flu is pretty happy since you came around. Thanks for the psychosomatic worries and fears we have and the idiots of self-diagnosis.

Thanks for Netflix and thanks for the terrible reality shows. Thanks for the emails I’ve been getting from people I don’t know in countries I’ve never been to before. Thanks to them, apparently, I have a lot of money coming to me if I just give them my banking information so that they could send it to me.
(By the way, what’s a bitcoin? Just kidding . . .)

Thank you for the sunny days like the one we have now; ever proving that even in ugly times, there will always be something beautiful to look at. Thank you for the idea of social distancing, which, for the record and as a proud New Yorker; this is something I have been practicing since before it was cool. Thanks for the separation because I’ve been away from people I dislike.

Thanks for pointing out that we are only human and that none of us, no matter how rich or poor, we can all succumb to sickness. In the end, no matter how rich or powerful, poor or meek; we all fit in the same box and lay down in the same hole. I agree, this is a somewhat dark and gloomy idea but more than anything, we are all born equal in the end.

Thanks for the critics that have nothing else to do now but point out the flaws in my writing. Thanks for exposing the fact that they have nothing else to contribute to the world, other than their opinion, and that they never dare to create themselves.

Also, thank you for teaching me the importance of a hug or how amazing it is to see people I care about and hold them in my arms. I understand this more now especially since I can’t hold or touch anyone. Thank you for showing us that above all, our healthcare specialists are at last getting the attention they deserve.

There was a nurse in the parking lot of a restaurant the other day. We were all waiting in our cars, of course, because we cannot gather more than a few at a time indoors. I was waiting for my order. So was the nurse. I rolled down my window and offered to pay for his family’s dinner. He didn’t accept but he did say “thank you.” I even offered him rolls of toilet paper, which in today’s economy is a pretty hot commodity. Just saying.

I wanted to say thank you for pointing out my flaws. And thanks for letting me see that I am only a man and that I am afraid and weak. I am humble and imperfect.
Thank you for Zoom and Google Meet because at least with them, I was able to gather a few of my groups and see the smiles of people that have little to smile about these days.
Thanks for pushing me to create and replace thought with action by putting out some of my writing and thank you for making me regret this all at the same time.

Thanks for the “Pandemic Pounds,” which I have been gaining plenty of by the way. I’d like to think I’ll start my diet today but you and I both know there’s always tomorrow.

I’m not sure what will happen next. People keep talking about the new normal. And oh yeah, thank you for disintegrating my business plans for this year. I guess I’ll just have to build my education then.

Thanks for showing me my true friends and helping me discern between the real ones and the fake.

Thank you for teaching me about the spirit of encouragement and empowerment. I see them both and associate them with the light of hope. On the other side; I see the lack thereof and the opposite of hope and associate this with the darkness of depressive thinking. I combine this with the sad, lamenting postures we take, and the emotional quicksand we sink into. I realize that hope is only a choice. And sometimes we choose otherwise. But I’m not sure why.

Thank you for teaching me humility. Thank you for the lessons in grocery store etiquette. And thank you for pointing who serves my community and thusly so, thank you for exposing the people that are a disservice. I’ll have to remember these things when we go back to normal, if there is such a thing.

Thank you for reminding people to wash their hands. Although, I must admit that this is a strange reminder, and again, I have to say that I’ve been practicing hand-washing since before it was cool as well. But as a result, you have given perspective and exposed the ignorance around me, which I think is great because this teaches me who I should stay away from.

I am not sure what will happen next. I’m not sure if you will come again in a second wave and follow up with a third. I don’t know what the end result will be. I just know that for now, you haven’t beaten me. And I won’t let you either.

Last but not least, thank you for showing me that I can feel love, which means even if you get me, my love is what will keep me strong; therefore, even if you get me, no matter what, I swear you will never break me.

So there . . .