A Must Read Letter from a Guilford Connecticut resident on Adjusting to Virus Social Distancing

This blogger is indebted to the New York Times for publishing the following  letter written to the Editor of New York Times and published on Thursday, March 19, 2020.

We can optimize our social distancing time by writing

memoirs, collecting family photos and reaching out

to our friends and neighbors and display gratitude and compassion,

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 

 To the Editor:

 Come on, boomers! We grew up in the 1950s, hid under desks during air raid drills, suffered through the Vietnam War. Mostly we have enjoyed safety and prosperity. Now we are the elders. (Just look at the presidential candidates!) It’s our time to lead by example.

 Don’t grab all of the toilet paper on the shelves. (Store owners, set limits, two per customer.) Don’t veg out in front of the bad news being recycled on TV, whether Fox or MSNBC. Read your morning New York Times, do the crossword puzzle and then move on.

 Are you self-isolating? These are good times to be alone and quiet, go inward, seek meaning from the paths our lives have taken, write memoirs, gather family photographs. Hunkering down does not mean hiding. Send out positive messages. Wave and smile from the front porch. Grow flowers. Bake bread and cookies for the neighbors who shop for you. Wouldn’t we rather burn out than rust out?

Find a way to make a positive difference in your community. Rock on!

 Susan Coley Leonard
 Guilford, Conn.