Just last week I talked about checking in on yourself and making sure you are doing well during really any time of your life, but especially now during this pandemic. I am going to give you whiplash here because I want to take a full 180 and talk about the opposite end of the spectrum. Although it is good to keep yourself in check and take care of your needs like I said, I also want everyone to remember that we all should not be selfish either. We all need to be considerate of each other’s needs, wants, and emotions at all times, within reason of course. I know that might be a little confusing after my post last week pretty much having the opposite message but hear me out here!

Let’s jump into the most obvious topic relating to my theme here first: The pandemic. I think it is safe to say there has been a lot of selfishness going around when it comes to the pandemic. I just recently read a story of a 21-year-old who either thought the virus was a hoax or just wasn’t worried because of his health or age so he decided to go to a big party. Within a week his father was severely ill because he was asymptomatic but brought it home to the family he lived with. I am paraphrasing here of course, but it was a headline just last week in the news. I have a similar living situation myself for the time being and I have been doing everything I possibly can to prevent exactly that from happening. I am not saying that to get praise from anyone or anything of course. I am saying it to show that I realize this is something much bigger than my life alone. I think it is about time we all realized that.

To go off the pandemic a bit more I think with the entire debate about masks, social distancing, and overall just preventative measures regarding the virus there is a lot to be said. At this point it is absolutely about respect of each other and not being selfish. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to return to work to an extent. I have been back in the office for almost a month now and I can say I am actually very comfortable here. The reason for that is the respect from others around the office but especially my bosses. They are making sure I am comfortable with things, put me in my own temporary office instead of an open cubical, and always check with me before entering, using any of the supplies on my desk, etc. My direct team has the respect thing down. With that being said every place is going to have at least a couple of people who don’t want to comply with the rules. Generally speaking, there seems to always be one person who doesn’t want to wear a mask, doesn’t want to sanitize anything afterwards, or otherwise just doesn’t respect other people’s boundaries. You are taking the comfort levels away from people around you by doing so, it may be your right to not wear a mask, but it is also the person around you’s right to live a long healthy life. Do you truly want to be the person that takes that away from them?

Let’s finish this up with a less serious and morbid example, shall we? I think we as humans are naturally just selfish. That sounds harsh but I think most of us have that mindset without even realizing it. You may be hurting someone’s feelings but completely oblivious to it. This isn’t a personal example at all but one I have heard many times: you may know someone in your life that is constantly being asked when they are going to have kids. For all you know that woman might have fertility issues and her and her partner have had no luck getting pregnant or maybe they just suffered a miscarriage. I think also in that case, if she has a friend or family member that is expecting a baby and is constantly talking about all the plans and excitement for her new baby, it might emotionally be getting to the woman who has not been able to conceive. Now do not mistake my meaning here. Of course, the expectant mother in this hypothetical scenario has every right to be excited and share that excitement with the friend, but I think there is a very fine line as to where it can be a bit too much for the person mentally struggling. Both people’s emotions are equally as important of course. Each have every right to feel the way they do. All I am asking is for us to be conscious of the feelings of others around us.

Some of you may strongly disagree with my point to this post, especially that last example, and that’s okay. We are all entitled to our own thoughts and feelings and opinions. All I am asking of my readers with this post is to show a little compassion for others. You have no idea the story and feelings of those around you, yes even for the people you are closest to. Maybe you feel you don’t need a mask to get your groceries, but maybe you are just a carrier for the virus and the woman in line in front of you has severe asthma or lives with someone with health issues making them in the high risk category. Just remember that those around you all have internal struggles they do not share with anyone. Only we truly know the battle going on in our own minds, so we truly should be mindful of others. A person can be truly happy for someone else’s milestones and accomplishments but still have that ugly voice inside their head telling them that they ache for those things as well. Yes, that is their problem and not yours of course, but I think it is very easy for us to forget that we all have feelings like these. Do your best moving forward to be aware of others and respectful of their needs as well. Keep each other safe! The world could truly use that right now.