I am 100% supportive of precautionary measures to protect oneself from becoming ill. What I don't support is the hysteria that the media is creating. Each media outlet directs people to the CDC website for infromation on swine flu, and information on how to protect yourself. Only after reading what the CDC posted do I feel at-ease. I will not argue that it is regrettable that people have died from the swine flu, and people continue to fall ill. What I find unneccessary are the constant warnings we see every moment of the day. Do not fly, do not use public transportation. Granted our world is much more global now, then it was for the 1968 flu pandemic, and could increase the possibility of spreading infection faster. But being global also helps us get the news out faster, so that people can protect themselves. I had a brief conversation with a coworker who was contemplating a trip to Key West before the outbreak. Now she doubts that she will go. I asked her not to make up her mind until she visited the CDC website so she can see the information I saw. To be fair, she has a 4 year old son, who's immune system isn't the strongest. I could see the fear in her eyes. The fear that her world could be rocked by an illness that has been around for a while.
Again, I don't mean to belittle what is going on. In Mexico, this is a very serious illnees. Not only do citizens have to be nervous they will catch the deadly virus, but they also have to deal with a host of side-effects. For example, restaurants have closed down, and grocery store shelves have been emptied. Schools are closed and parents have to find child care. These are realities the people in Mexico must deal with. But as a Connecticut resident, I'm not sure that this pertains to me. I worked in the restaurant industry for years. I know how important proper hygene is. If you had an itch on your nose, forget it. You could wiggle it all you want, but you could NOT sratch it. I washed my hands so many times that normal people would think us waitresses were OCD. The only thing I think this media hype might be good for is sending the message to wash your hands. It's that simple, wash your hands. And people should do it ALL the time, not just when there is mass messages of the risk of pandemic. Catching some sort of virus is always a risk. And the risk to spread any virus is always real.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
James "Jimmy" Baily
Jimmy Baily was my dad's cousin. But he meant much more to so many people.
To do him justice, I want to capture what his students, colleagues, friends and family had to say about him at his wake. His son spoke on his behalf, briefly, he said that while Jimmy was not his father, he always called him Dad. And kindly invited people to their house following the service. Shortly after, a beautiful young woman with dark curly hair captured the attention of the room. She worked with Jimmy, part of his work family. She told us how kind Jimmy was, how he was the man you went to when you had a problem. Jimmy had the stregnth to support his coworkers, and the patience to guide his students.
Four young men came to the front of the room. They had similar stickers on their chests, a picture of Jimmy. The leader got up in front of everyone because, "B would have said get up there and talk about me son." And we laughed. He then told us how he wouldn't be the man he is today if it weren't for B. "Where I'm from, we don't have male role models," he said quietly. B was the male role model for his students. He exemplified how men should act. To be that sort of inspiration in someone's life is nothing short of amazing. He was an inspiration for these boys, and the women in his classes.
There were others who gave the audience greater detail as to who Jimmy was to them. But just as special were the people who didn't speak to everyone. Perhaps because they were overwhelmed with grief. My father was one such person. We shared in a lot of memories with my father because we were there for it, but he shed a little light on the times we weren't there. Like when my Dad was 19 and Jimmy got him his first job. It may have been at a car wash, but it was the first kindness of many that my Dad recollected.
It really pains me to write that he is gone now. That the esophogeal cancer that was discovered just months ago consumed his body. But I try to focus on the fact that he'll never really be gone. He'll live on in my memory as my Dad's best friend. Someone who always made my sister and I laugh. And he'll be in the hearts of so many as a friend, and leader. Someone who taught them to be a man. Someone who gave them the best advice they ever got.
To do him justice, I want to capture what his students, colleagues, friends and family had to say about him at his wake. His son spoke on his behalf, briefly, he said that while Jimmy was not his father, he always called him Dad. And kindly invited people to their house following the service. Shortly after, a beautiful young woman with dark curly hair captured the attention of the room. She worked with Jimmy, part of his work family. She told us how kind Jimmy was, how he was the man you went to when you had a problem. Jimmy had the stregnth to support his coworkers, and the patience to guide his students.
Four young men came to the front of the room. They had similar stickers on their chests, a picture of Jimmy. The leader got up in front of everyone because, "B would have said get up there and talk about me son." And we laughed. He then told us how he wouldn't be the man he is today if it weren't for B. "Where I'm from, we don't have male role models," he said quietly. B was the male role model for his students. He exemplified how men should act. To be that sort of inspiration in someone's life is nothing short of amazing. He was an inspiration for these boys, and the women in his classes.
There were others who gave the audience greater detail as to who Jimmy was to them. But just as special were the people who didn't speak to everyone. Perhaps because they were overwhelmed with grief. My father was one such person. We shared in a lot of memories with my father because we were there for it, but he shed a little light on the times we weren't there. Like when my Dad was 19 and Jimmy got him his first job. It may have been at a car wash, but it was the first kindness of many that my Dad recollected.
It really pains me to write that he is gone now. That the esophogeal cancer that was discovered just months ago consumed his body. But I try to focus on the fact that he'll never really be gone. He'll live on in my memory as my Dad's best friend. Someone who always made my sister and I laugh. And he'll be in the hearts of so many as a friend, and leader. Someone who taught them to be a man. Someone who gave them the best advice they ever got.
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