When I was in high school, I used to wish to live in a fantasy world. I wanted to be the courageous protagonist who I would read about in books. Dethrone a malicious king or escape the poisonous rain. Now, I’m one of the billion people trying to avoid a life-threatening virus.
I’m not the protagonist I always imagined myself to be. Every day, I’m completing homework, spending time with my family, watching Netflix or sleeping for hours. I haven’t left home for weeks, except for the rare trip to the grocery store. For living in a frightening time, I feel incredibly powerless.
While I may not have reality-bending powers or mind-reading skills, I still want to be helping my community. I want to be running errands for elders who can’t leave their homes or making masks to donate. If only I could drive or sew.
It has only been about a month or so since we have been sheltering at home, but I have already learned a valuable lesson: the ability to help others is a privilege, and I’m regretful to say I took advantage of this.
After this situation passes, I want to give back to my community. There are so many opportunities out there to help those who need it. There are clubs on campus that provide free tutoring services to low-income families, and there are many animal shelters in the Rio Grande Valley that could use an extra paw. I would love to help out in a nursing home or even go around the neighborhood to ask if any extra help is needed.
Why am I thinking of these things when I am home shut out from the rest of the world? Why didn’t I offer to help when I actually could? One word: time.
There was never enough time to be helping the world. I always had an assignment due soon, or I had a family obligation. It was a friend’s birthday, or it was the only day I had completely off, so I wanted to enjoy it.
With the COVID-19 situation, another lesson presented itself, one that shocks everyone to their core, time is always running out, and we should be taking advantage of it while we still can.
“In summer, I’ll volunteer somewhere,” we say to ourselves. “In summer, I’ll pause Hulu and collect donations for local charities.”
What if we get sick before summer? It doesn’t have to be sick with coronavirus. Anything can happen to prevent us from ever driving up to that animal shelter, that food pantry or that tutoring center.
All we can control is today. Right now. This exact moment.
Why do we have to wait until after the situation passes? Do you really need to watch Friends for the 11th time, or can you spare a few hours and give back to your community? Are you ready to be the protagonist of a fantasy world?
If you can sew, look up a facial mask tutorial. Look into donating your homemade masks to your local hospital. If you’re picking up some groceries, ask your elderly neighbors if they need something from the store. Helping out your household is just as heroic. If you have children at home, comfort them during this scary time.
All it takes to be a hero is helping one person.
It’s easy for me to write this and tell you to help out, but what about me? How am I going to be a courageous protagonist helping combat the evil virus?
This may not come as a big surprise, but I want to give back by promoting literacy in the younger generations of my family. I have a toddler brother and three young cousins. My brother can’t read but he loves when I read to him after I finish my assignments. The oldest cousin hates reading, even though it’s important as a soon-to-be first grader, and the second will be starting school in fall. I want to help them appreciate and improve their reading skills. If they don’t like reading, I want to make sure that it’s because it’s not their preferred hobby, not because they’re scared of it.
Often, I won’t read to my brother or check in on my cousins, because there’s never any time, but that stops today. I will make time before there really is no time left.
I hope the coronavirus situation is over soon. It has taken so many lives and permanently altered even more. However, it has taught me that giving back is a privilege, and that I should be taking advantage of it before I can’t.
We are all the protagonists during this time. We can emerge out of this situation as heroes if we choose to.
