Be kind to others as well all work our way through this coronavirus pandemic
We are already half way through July, the weather is hot, fireworks for some reason are still being set off, and we are frustrated. It seems we just can’t make headway this year.
I know I have been sheltering in place so long I believe I have become attached to the floors. Even my pets, much as they love me, sometimes look at me thinking,”Don’t you have any place to go?” I wish I could go, but like most in my age group, we are among the `at risk’ category.
We have a healthy respect for COVID and we want to stay healthy. Little did we all know when we were given guidelines at the end of February that months later, the numbers would be getting worse. It is all exhausting. When I do go out, which is only when really necessary, I don my mask (now I have them in a variety of colors thanks to the internet) and I properly distance myself.
On July 9th, Merced County reinstated these important guidelines due to our rapid increase of Covid-19 cases. So friends, we need to hang in there and cope the best we can. Being kind to each other right now is the best advice I can give you, and I got that from a very good source, Fire Chief Mason Hurley.
Since I moved to Los Banos, almost 30 years ago, I have had the good fortune of knowing three amazing Fire Chiefs; Chet Gutinni, Tim Marrison and Mason Hurley. Over that time I have worked with them on projects and gotten to know them as friends.
Los Banos has been very blessed to have such fine, dedicated men who have diligently worked to keep us safe. As we head into even hotter days, I spoke with Chief Hurley for a mini state of the fire station talk. He told me, “This Fourth of July was very busy with a lot of illegal fireworks. That kept us really busy. We were strained but our fire department responded to every call. I am really proud of our men. In these challenging times with Covid we are 100% devoted to using extra safety measures for our community and our firefighters. We are anticipating an active summer, as always, and we encourage people to be fire safe.”
Chief Hurley firmly believes that the wearing of masks is helpful. “I really do believe they can make a difference,” he said, “the masks help the person wearing them as well as the people around them. Wearing the mask also is a way of showing respect to each other.”
When I asked the Chief if he had any words to offer to my readers, he responded, “I want to encourage people to show each other respect, to encourage each other, be kind to each other, and to try to stay positive until we get to the other side.”
Once more I find myself trying to find ways to do just what Chief Hurley suggests. Perhaps some of you have ideas?
Why not write a letter to the editor? Call your church to see if they know someone who is lonely and could use a call. Many of our restaurants do deliver and need our business. Making a call to have food delivered to someone as a surprise can really make their day.
Residents of convalescent homes still can not have visitors, so why not adopt a few and send them cards. If you know of someone who has lost a loved one during this unique time period, imagine how much harder it is for them not to be able to receive the normal comforts of services or visitors. Try to call, write, and pray for all those touched by grief for there is no higher calling than this.
Comforting each other with understanding, patience and kindness will not make the pandemic go away any sooner, but it will make it easier to bear. We are all in this together. Let our best humanity shine.
Over my 28 years of writing for the Enterprise I have highlighted the great service that many of our residents have given to the community. Too often these words are said after a member of our community dies. This time it is because, after a quarter of a century of giving, this volunteer is moving away.
Years of service volunteering for the Salvation Army, the Relay for Life Cancer Walk, the Heart Association, feeding the homeless, helping lead the Every Fifteen Minutes program, volunteering with the Women’s Place and later the Valley Crisis Center (until she began to work there), and a very active member for over 22 years with the Soroptimist where she once earned the Soroptimist of the Year Award.
As co-owner of local business, Analytical and Construction Services, she helped employ many local young men for over 10 years. Lara Olson did all that while raising her two amazing daughters. I am sure every mother believes their daughter to be the most incredible, but I have to brag that with her limitless compassion, energy, intelligence, and heart, Lara makes me feel humbled.
I know that her moving away from Los Banos will be a loss for the entire community, but for me, there are no words to describe how much I will miss her and for me that is really saying something.