Love Letter From a Foxhole  

May 19, 2020 — 69 Days After WHO Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic

There is, I think, cause for optimism, even though the war is just beginning.

No doubt, the next couple weeks will be a bumpy ride. Maybe you have been one of the fortunate soldiers, like me, charged with staying home and flattening the curve.

Stationed at my home office, I have stood in awe of the health care workers, serving on the frontline, risking exposure to the coronavirus as they go about their jobs.

Seeing them in action is a daily reminder of the very best in humanity.

Here in my Chicago neighborhood, I felt the love, too.

Earlier the pandemic, a neighbor sent out a group email to everyone on our block. He wanted to identify those who would be able to help secure food and supplies for neighbors in need and those who would potentially need assistance.

Right away, a whole lot of hands went up with offers to volunteer. 

Not long after that, I had a long phone call with an old friend. We hadn’t done that in quite a while because there never seemed to be enough time. As we talked, I was sitting in my backyard. It was a cool day, but I felt the sun on my face. I saw a cardinal and noticed all the sprouting plants in my garden.

Then I drove over to my favorite local bakery and dinette, Baker Miller, on Lincoln Avenue.  Since all Illinois restaurants were and are currently closed, Dave, the owner, set up a curbside pickup window. He waved to me when I pulled up. It was raining that morning, and before I even got out of my car, the smiling cashier came running out with my brown bag of lovingly baked sourdough. 

Recently, my best friend and I exchanged thirty-some texts. We covered a lot of ground, including virus anxiety, recipes for a pandemic, and the latest on our kids.  You can practice social distancing without feeling alone.

This is not to downplay the seriousness of the situation. When COVID-19 is at last behind us, some will have lost loved ones and fortunes.

But I have a feeling we won’t take things for granted the way we did before.

We might finally understand how much we need one another and how one person’s welfare impacts everyone’s welfare. It is just possible that humanity might emerge transformed for the better.

—Mary Osborne, Author

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