At a time when fear, uncertainty and overwhelming chaos is rampant, I am choosing to concentrate on those things I can control and will continue to be grateful for.
To my friends in the medical field
Wow. You guys are truly the front lines in these uncertain pandemic times. You do not have the option to work from home, socially distance yourself or Netflix and chill for the foreseeable future. Instead, you show up, take the precautions you know to be necessary and lovingly provide your service to the chaotic, panicked, uncertain world around you. A sincere and deeply heartened Thank You.
To the teachers
Both those adjusting their usual teaching methods to move to remotely teaching our kids as well as those without that option that will continue to show up in person until they can’t, or are ordered not to. You truly care for our children. You care for their education, their social growth and development and their intrinsic well-being. Above all, in light of current events, you care for their physical health and that of their parents, grandparents and other dearly loved ones, which is why you are sacrificing your ‘normal’ ways of educating to ensure a slower spread and better means of handling this mass contamination. Thank you for being pliable, positive and continuing to lead our future leaders with compassion, understanding, empathy and love.
To our community leaders
Thank you for taking this situation seriously. Thank you for being forthcoming with the information you receive and for attempting to allay fear and panic, but rather spread medical education, present and future directives and a desire to protect our community’s elderly and immune compromised members. Thank you.
To the everyday, average, non-compromised healthy citizen in my community.
Thank you. For not hoarding supplies so that everyone has a chance to fight this battle, especially those that have less of a chance to successfully fight this battle. Thank you for adjusting your ‘norm’ and respecting social distancing so that our medical facilities do not get overrun and have a fighting chance at treating those that cannot feasibly fight this virus on their own. Thank you for understanding this isn’t a joke, political ploy or made-up government conspiracy. And thank you for, instead of saying ‘I told you so’ should the outcome not be as bleak as feared, but instead having the capacity to feel grateful, humble and OVERJOYED should the outcome not be as bleak as feared. Thank you.
And lastly, to the elderly in my community
To my ‘older’ friends and treasured family, to the beloved family member undergoing chemotherapy, to the child with an immune-compromised condition, to the single mom with four children that has no childcare options while her children are out of school, to the Dad who was recently laid off and has no healthcare, to my neighbor on a respirator that fears going to the store for necessary supplies, to my parents that wholeheartedly and unfearfully volunteer to provide childcare and tutoring services for the unforeseeable future to my children, Thank You. I promise to think of you during this time of uncertainly. I promise to do my best to not spread an illness I know will be difficult for you to fight. I promise to not steal supplies from you and rather, help to provide those supplies you are not able to procure yourself. I know you are afraid. I am afraid for you. Please reach out and seek help to reduce your chances of infection and enhance your chances of good health, continued comfort and sheer survival.
We are all in this together. If we all do our part, we will get through this with the least number of casualties possible. So to everyone reading this, Thank You.
Amannda Maphies has always gone by Manndi; and yes, it has two n’s. It is actually a perfect moniker for her as she’sa bit (more than a bit) zany, wacky, crazy and loves nothing more than to laugh at herself and share that laughter with others. Manndi works fulltime at the UMKC School of Pharmacy, has two boys, William (10) and Waylan (8). She loves to write so she recently started posting on Facebook about her daily adventures about everything from being a single mom of two wild and crazy boys to dating after divorce, to more serious topics such as the loss of a loved one and suicide awareness. She trie to infuse humor, relatability and a touch of inspiration into each of her pieces. One day, she will compile them for a memoir of her life. Manndi’s life motto is ‘live a life you would want to read about’ and she strives everyday to reach others with her words. She feels that you are only as happy as you choose to be and she CHOOSES happiness over all other emotions. She is honored to be featured in a publication named ‘Positively Positive’ because that is truly how she strives to live life.
Image courtesy of Vie Studio.
