Everyday I open my phone and wonder how I am supposed to bring a baby into this craziness. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about… oh wait, maybe you don’t. Because there is so much absurdity happening in this life right now that we could actually be thinking about different things… and they could both be equally as insane. If it isn’t one thing… it’s another. So let us touch on a few that seem to have stuck around. Thank goodness the murder hornets and dust storm didn’t last too long. I can’t even keep up with the celebrity drama. But I’ll take a wack at some of the things that I feel passionately about... and then let’s see if we can figure out how to move forward as a nation. *This post is full of my feelings and they most likely will differ from yours on some level. Keep in mind, THAT IS OKAY*
Let’s start with one that is effecting all of us at this point… do I wear the mask? The simple answer, is yes. Especially if your state/ governor is requiring it. Why is it suddenly okay to blatantly ignore our leaders? For those of you fighting it, I get it. No one can prove if they work… “because if they work so well, why are the numbers rising.” I’m not here to argue with you about the technicalities of it. I see your point, and I am listening. I am also not here to argue with you about how bad they suck… BECAUSE THEY DO. I am 6 months pregnant. I have more weight on my body than I have ever had. I huff and puff just trying to roll out of bed. I have never been so hot all the time. I literally see stars when I wear a mask for too long but it isn’t about me. Just like it’s not necessarily about you. Now please do not come at me and tell me that some people can’t physically wear the mask because of medical conditions… if that is you then LIVE YOUR LIFE but maybe try to stay home as much as you can (I know everyone doesn’t have this convenience... that’s why this is such an issue. I understand that point too... and I am listening). No-one is asking you to put your life at risk. That would actually defeat the purpose. Everyone is just trying to figure out how to keep most people safe... and I care about your safety. That’s not necessarily what I am talking about. Keep yourself safe but also do your best to think of others. Now, if you just simply don’t want to wear a mask because it is an inconvenience to you… and that is the only reason… then, that is logic I truly don’t understand. Maybe it’s because we lived in Japan last year where people were already wearing mask everywhere... and that was just for cold/ flu season. It was a common occurrence. Honestly, I miss that about living there. Not the mask exactly, but the general respect that people had for those around them.
Should we send kids and teachers back to school? I don’t know. The only thing I know for sure, is the thought of standardized testing right now is ridiculous. There is nothing standard about what is happening in this world. Standardized testing was absurd before this pandemic. Let me say it really loud for the people in the back... No student is the same. But after all this, they will never be the same. Never. Let me step off my soapbox and get back to the point... I understand why some people want to go back to school but I also get why the rest don't. There is no right or generic answer. Going back puts children and teachers at risk. Social distancing doesn’t exist in a class of 22. It is also not okay to force 22 kids to sit at one desk all day without a break or the ability to move around. It isn't sensible. Not to mention having all these people in one location is SCARY. But what about the kid that has nowhere to go. The kid with the parents working their butts off to make ends meet. The kids that have no food. The kids that were already behind and are rapidly regressing even more. Complete remote online learning isn’t logical either. I’m sorry, it isn’t. Even the most qualified teachers are not qualified for that. And we are back to the kids that can’t afford it. There are students that couldn’t supply their own pencils and now they need a smart device and wifi. Are you kidding? So we are either back to school with everyone in danger or opting out to stay home and learn online... or both? Maybe we just go back a couple days a week? And if you are a family who can afford that option, that’s great! But how are these already over stressed teachers supposed to come up with 2 curriculums for the different sets of students while trying to keep everyone safe, themselves and their family included, all while wearing a mask. Oh here we are again, the question of the masks... it’s not logical to ask 7 year olds to wear mask all the time... but if your district ask that of you, please don’t approach the situation with hate. Everyone is doing their best. They are trying to keep everyone as safe as possible. I’m stumped. My heart hurts. This is going to be hard for everyone. So please take on this next school year with compassion and give grace to all those around you. Everyone’s story is different. And I’ll say it again... everyone is doing their best.
BLM- should we be speaking out or not? This one is tough and I have so many mixed emotions. Now don’t misunderstand me, BLACK LIVES MATTER. All day, everyday. I have never met a black human who deserved to be treated differently based on the color of their skin. Never. My rights as an American are your rights as an American. That is not the issue. The issue is the controversy behind the movement itself and if it is being taken advantage of. I worry about who is running it and if it is doing more harm or good. That is where I sit confused. Have injustices happened? Abso.freakin.lutely. Are they wrong? Yes! Should someone be held accountable? NO DOUBT. But on the flip side, I will not post that all cops are bad because of the actions of some. Because I have watched cops walk through an elementary school and scoop kids up when they fall. I have watched them tie shoes. I have watched them read books to students that just need a break from a stressful day. I have watched them tear up when a child is scared of them, because all they want to do is keep them safe. There are good cops out there. I also have a hard time believing that disrespecting our flag or the people that fight (or have ever fought) for our country is making a positive change. So I’m confused by the necessity to choose one movement or the other... and how to accurately support those I love while still understanding the other side of it all. And believe me when I say, I will not speak on a subject that I am not knowledgable on. So for those that have said my silence up to this point is part of the problem… I will take this time to respectfully disagree. Because me speaking out on something I don’t understand is ignorance. I am not black. I have never been black. I will never be black. I have plenty of black friends whom I love deeply. Whom I will stand behind in a heart beat. Whom I would work feverishly to keep safe. But for me to speak out on how black humans feel on a daily basis or how slavery effects me, that would not be in anyones best interest. That would be me flooding my social media with solely my uneducated opinions… and taking away a platform that someone else more knowledgable that I could be using, and that would help no-one right now. I can only speak my truths. So until then, I will sit and listen and learn. But most of all I will love and I will pray. And for now, I honestly believe that is where I am doing the most good.
This wouldn’t be one of my post if I didn’t include some kind of baseball… right? So, I know you have seen the headlines of all the guys that are opting out. But not everyone has the millions in the bank to do that. So, how do you choose? How do you choose whether to stay home and stay safe or make the money you need to provide for a family... Well... you see where we are. We made the move. Pregnant and all. We are with a new organization, Tyler has something to prove. Not to mention, a year without pay isn’t feasible right now. But our safety and the safety of our baby is our highest priority. So we chose both. Tyler goes to the field and is tested regularly. We wear our mask for our protection and others. I clean like a mad man. All because we want to raise our girl in comfort. We want her to know that we will do whatever it takes to provide for her. Is there a right answer, no... just whatever is best for families individually. Stay home and stay safe or make the money you need to survive... baseball isn’t the only profession asking that question, it just so happens to be the only sport on TV right now. So it is making headlines.
So there may not be a politically correct or “right” answer for how do I support BLM? Do I wear a mask? Should we go back to school? Am I keeping my family as safe as I can? It’s not strictly “this or that” and you will never make everyone on this earth happy… But that doesn’t mean that we should focus on ourselves and only show concern for our own well being. It makes me wonder, how did we as a human race become so entitled? But then I realize that maybe, just maybe, we are asking the wrong people the wrong questions... maybe it’s time to turn off our phones and turn off the media and take in a moment of silence with the one that matters most, because have you asked God what you can do for Him, today?
All this controversy. All this debate. All the fear. All the judgement. All the tears. And maybe it’s not about pleasing everyone. Maybe it’s not about what we support on social media. Maybe it’s not about if we WANT to wear a mask. Maybe it’s not about where we live or what we do. Maybe it IS about how we pray for all of those things. Maybe it is about how we move forward from here and start to heal. Maybe it is about how we use this opportunity and abnormal time in our lives to find who is really important in this life. Maybe it is more about figuring out how to be selfless instead of selfish. Maybe it is about our neighbor. Maybe it is about figuring out that everyones journey is different, and accepting that. Maybe it’s about showing grace. Maybe it’s about learning to trust in a plan greater than our own.
As a great friend of ours always says... “Love God. Love People. Period.”
Mark 12:30-31
Maybe that’s where we should start.
Thomas Rhett hit it out of the park with this one, and it felt appropriate, so I had to share!