March. I tried to warn you. But you wouldn't listen. "Amy's being dramatic...as usual," you muttered, dismissing me as I ticked off time change, Friday the 13th, Super Moon, Seasonal Affect, and state testing as acceptable reasons for despising March. And now look where we are. And this particular March looks like it's so bad that it might bleed into other months. The March-to-end-all-Marches. My worst nightmare...the never-ending March. In like a lion...out like a lamb? More like the lion pounced on the lamb, ripped out its entrails, and is now eyeing us up."What do you need?" my friend Erin had asked...was it just weeks ago?...as we sat in her room waiting for our Zumba group to congregate. "I need you to leave me alone," I growled at her, hugging my knees and rocking back against the window. She smiled, nudging me gently, infuriating me with her certainty that I didn't need that at all. And now look where we are. Be careful what you wish for.
In addition to being the March-to-end-all-Marches, it also appears to be a very impressive Cosmic Time-Out. A planetary punishment sending everyone to our rooms so we can think, long and hard, about what we've done. All those ridiculous arguments about people, politics, and plastic bags? Live and let live suddenly becomes a LOT easier when you're living all ALONE with no contact from the outside world! Mind your own business is a snap when you can only get up in yo' own bidness. And now look where we are...trials, tribulation, and toilet paper.
And what a blow to the collective ego to discover that we, the majority of the population, are not deemed essential. Being suddenly shifted as the self-appointed center of the universe is PAINFUL. "What do you mean I'm not essential?" we howl, forced out of school, church, restaurants, bars, and beaches. "Go home. We don't need you," we're told. But as we sit, in time-out, with nothing left to do but think...reflecting rather than raging...considering contemplatively rather than with condemnation and contempt...we suddenly realize that the world just re-set. Priorities just got grounded in reality rather than wealth. Being a good singer, holding a rally, delivering memorized lines, conducting interviews, filibustering, designing a dress, throwing a ball...how cute. Good for you. But standing on your feet all day, patiently cashing out endless lines of complaining people...you are a hero. An essential component of our community, How did we not see it before? Medical personnel facing looming numbers, inadequate supplies, and a hysterical public? Your images should be printed on currency...etched into a mountain. Truckers, truly the life blood of our land, endlessly transporting goods to re-stock shelves emptied in panic. We celebrate and thank the scientists, farmers, emergency personnel, waste management, postal workers, and the countless behind-the-scenes people who keep the day-to-day running. How did we not see you before? I can tell you...we were too busy looking at ourselves.
"Ask NOT what your country can do for you..." JFK had challenged, "ask what you can do for your country." And right now...my country is asking me to stay home. I can think of worse things. For the good of our families...friends...community...state...country...and the world...it is essential that we think of others ahead of ourselves. I recently wrote my 4th grade students a letter. Now is the time to shine...not to whine, I exhorted. Not quite as classy and inspirational as Kennedy but still, from the heart. Who knew you could save the world simply by sitting in your living room, drinking Pepsi, and watching re-runs of Grey's Anatomy? But look where we are now. I had unknowingly been training for this moment my entire life. Couch potatoes unite! Separately, of course.
P.S. Whining will come later. Trust me.
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