UNITED STATES─It has been about 3 weeks America, but I must admit it feels like almost 6 months. This self-quarantine might be the craziest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime, not to mention the fact that the world as we know it seems like it will never be the same. Businesses have closed up shop, the notion of dining out is not happening anytime soon, retailers have closed its doors, millions or Americans are out of work, some are collecting unemployment, but how long will that last?

Will it be long enough for them to land another job by the time those benefits dry up? Will the employers be willing to bring those hard-working staff members back to the business? For some, I would argue maybe; a vast majority, it is unlikely. I had to venture out, not because I wanted to because I have employment that is considered a vital necessity.

Some of us are still working during this pandemic and we’re working hard as hell. While I will admit it is a blessing to have a reliable job at this taxing time, it feels great to hear kind words from people who appreciate the hard work that you do. I mean for years it was as if you just existed, but now because you’re doing your job as normal, people see how important you are; the chaos you endure the stress that stays with you long after leaving your place of employment.

I’ve always been a big proponent that people should never judge a book by a cover. Too many people have misconceptions about what they think they know that they truly don’t know. You should walk in the shoes of someone before you judge them for something you have no idea about. Government offices are closed, doing business as usual just isn’t back to normal and to be honest I don’t see it letting up anytime soon. President Trump said he hopes things are back to normal by April 30.

Yeah, I just don’t’ see that happening, if I’m going with my gut, I don’t see an end to this lockdown until the end of May, the start of June at the earliest. Now if you’re asking me to reveal how long it will take the country to get back to normal, at least 6 months, maybe a year at the longest and I’m being generous. There is no way and I don’t care who you talk to, that it is believed we’ll be back to normal in a week or a month after things open back up.

It’s not possible! How so? You’re talking about businesses literally being cut off of their circulation by being denied the opportunity to earn revenue. This is not just for restaurants, but retailers and any form of employment where traffic dictates revenue. If you don’t have people coming into your place of business, the likelihood of earning business diminishes. Yes, I have absolutely heard the argument for shopping online, but let me be crystal clear: not everyone shops online and with the current financial state of the government, who in their right mind would be buying anything if it wasn’t an essential need people?

I trust I am not the only person who wants to get back to normal, but as noted we’re all in this together, and it’s time for us to bond in this dire time. Rather it’s with family, friends, co-workers or complete strangers. We are all human beings, we all endure the same, and we have to be in this together if we want to stop this pandemic from going any longer than what it has to.