GIG LINE
By Marsha M. Brown
This whole Coronavirus pandemic has made our heads swim…many have wondered why…many if not all have been afraid to catch it and/or in turn, infect the ones we love…we’ve wondered how we’ll make it financially…but then, even if finances isn’t an issue, just going into a store to shop for groceries or other necessities makes one pause…is it really worth the risk? Who might have touched the surfaces you might touch just gathering can goods and other surfaces that could still transmit the COVID-19 virus? Folks have had to cancel much deserved vacations to destinations they have longed to enjoy and now those vacation spots are also severely suffering the effects of this horrible highly contagious virus…in essence, this mess has paralyzed our everyday life…our nation…and the world.
Caregivers so necessary and important i.e. E.M.S. personnel, nurses, doctors and medical technicians are in jeopardy every single day…every single hour…but…it’s a fact…we are all in this together. Who would have thought? Who would have ever imagined this could happen? This scourge of heartache, death and dying is like a nightmare, a novel or a movie that is all make believe…pretend and seemingly just not possible. And on top of that, the patients who have passed most likely died without their closest family at their bedside, then the heart broken family members of those lost to this pandemic, can’t even hold or attend a funeral to honor their loved one. God bless us all.
Now, I didn’t write this GIG LINE to bring anyone down, we hear these same summaries 24/7 if we’re paying any attention at all…if we have TV, radio or even a computer being made aware of the hardship our nation (and many other nations as well) are going through…but why would anyone complain about not coming into our County, towns, villages and communities? Why? Why would anyone who loves our Outer Banks think for even a second that we should be subjected to incoming traffic especially from areas so inundated with this killer virus?
Our President, Governor and our Commissioners are doing everything they can to protect the people they serve. Regardless of political affiliation, we are vulnerable. Imagine for a second what would happen if the virus ran rampant in Dare County…our beautiful Outer Banks Hospital only has so many beds…what in the world would we do if someone who lives on a permanent basis from another area comes in and their germs manifest? This is my opinion…after all this is an OPINON column: we should all stay in place safe from exposure to others who might have it and not know it; order food from grocery stores that will shop your items and take them out to your car or deliver them to your house; monitor our temperatures at least every day or 2 x a day – AM & PM; check on our neighbors and shut ins to see if they’re okay or if they need anything; follow the guidelines local, state and federal officials who know a lot more about this than we do…(even if we think we know it all)! And pray to ask God’s help and recovery for our nation and the world He created.
And if you aren’t a believer or you don’t believe in prayer…we’ll be praying for you. I know there are people who can’t grasp the Bible and the fact that God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit exist. But I can tell you that I’ve personally had many experiences in my life that were extraordinary, extenuating and miraculous that it would be impossible for me to give credit to anything other but God. I’m not a theologian, not a Bible scholar, never took Bible courses or attended faith-based schools…but I know what I know that I know. Got me?
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I too have had losses and heartaches and people who have hurt me in my life…I too have been disappointed in the actions of others (and in myself too) at times; I too have watched people that I loved so much leave this world telling them in their last few moments that it was okay to go and that I would see them again one day…I too have been through cancer & radiation but let me tell you this…I have faith…I believe we will come out of this on the other side and somehow hopefully, we’ll be more thankful for the fresh air we breathe; for the sun light on our face; for the melodies our feathered friends sing from the trees; for the ability to walk in a store without covering our faces like we’re a bandit; protecting our hands with gloves and anti-disinfectant lotions and potions, using sanitizer wipes and gels…that we will see the smiling faces of store and restaurant owners/employees who are at work happy to serve patrons and bag groceries because they are able to…when we can see our commercial fishermen/women sail out of our harbors and the anticipation of our fish house employees standing on our docks anxious to unload, cull and prep the fresh catches for shipment to re-opened eateries and markets…and to see the charter boats welcoming avid fishermen and newcomers to the charter industry enjoy a beautiful day off shore. Yes, I look forward to real estate sales and cottage owners and guests freely coming back into Dare County and these magnificent Outer Banks that we call home.
I believe we will be okay if not better prepared for any other crisis of this magnitude in the future hoping in the meantime that folks who are anxious or impatient in the interim stop in their tracks and understand that if they love it here even an iota of how we love it as residents, they realize that waiting until they won’t inadvertently and unintentionally chance hurting us., then…then…we can all celebrate together!
Lastly we understand people’s frustrations at wanting to be here…who doesn’t want to be here where the very hand of God Almighty painted the horizon over the water at sunrise and sunset and the salt marshes to occupy homes amongst the outstanding citizens of our County? As the mother of an beautiful daughter and Dare County E.M.S. staff, a single Dad commercial fisherman who can’t catch fish to sell with so many restaurants closed near and far and the grandmother of a granddaughter who has been battling Stage II Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at 27 years old…I get it…but the public who are grumbling about not coming here or who are mad at our lawmakers who are trying to protect us all are boring! Please get a grip! Have necessary and reasonable patience and thank the Lord you have experienced the Outer Banks and all it has to offer to come back to when its safe. Stay safe where you are – until things calm down and life returns to normal…please…for all our sake!
Lastly, expect in a future GIG LINE a column dedicated to our National Guard…they’ve been called on to help erect and set up temporary hospitals and care centers etc. and they too are our national heroes!! God bless our caregivers all over the world who are so at risk helping the rest of us; law enforcement, fire personnel, veterans, faith-based organizations and all the many volunteers…we thank you. We thank you for sticking your necks outs, for making medical masks, for donating your time, effort, expertise and compassion for the masses. Very sincerely, we thank you!
Until next time, PLEASE be happy…there is still so much to appreciate and be thankful for and feel blessed about…be safe and take care in every way possible…and be proud. Just look around at all we have to smile about even amid this big, fat mess! And when all of this is behind us and we know the danger is over…however long it takes…let’s have a H-U-G-E hug fest! God is good…our nation and our politicians on both sides are working to get us through and over this…pray for them and can we just love…I mean really LOVE each other? If you have a question or comment, call me at (252) 202-2058 or email me: editor@giglineheroes.com I love you and thank you for reading GIG LINE. Stay safe & stay tuned!