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Coughlin High School teacher reaches out to senior students

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Martin Schram: Presidents and even the press can have an off day

PLAINS TWP. &mdash; Amid all the day-to-day frustrations this pandemic has brought to all of our lives, what keeps us going is that one day &mdash; who knows when &mdash; we will return to many of the fun things in life.
				We will again be social. We will dine out. We will attend sporting events. We will have backyard barbecues. We will go shopping &mdash; in stores, with people around, and we will smile at one another and we will not fear to stand in the checkout line.
				We will, won&rsquo;t we?
				But this week we learned that the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival for June has been canceled. And the Air Show at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport &mdash; scheduled for Aug. 23-24 &mdash; has also been canceled.
				I shudder to think that the beloved Plymouth Kielbasa Festival will also be lost for 2020.
				But by the looks of things, there is little reason for optimism.
				And events like summer church bazaars and fire company picnics will follow suit. We have lost the Fine Arts Fiesta, the Cherry Blossom Festival and more.
				These are all events that not only bring joy to our lives, but many vendors rely on them to make a living. Before food vendors can even get their wagons ready for the road, the roads all appear to be closed.
				And this is just the tip of the iceberg. So many small businesses are suffering, struggling to stay afloat by offering take-out service. All those workers who rely in tips have no customers. Their jobs may never return &mdash; at least not for a long time.
				All we can do is what we are told to do. Stay in our homes, self-isolate, social distance. We have to do these things, they say, until the virus subsides, or a cure/vaccine is found.
				We are told that the six top drug research companies in the country are working together to find a way to stop, or at least treat COVID-19. But as we can already see, that sort of resolution take time, precious time that many businesses are running out of daily.
				Mitigation is defined as &ldquo;the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.&rdquo; Well, then we must mitigate until those goals are met.
				But it ain&rsquo;t easy. Americans have always enjoyed the freedom to do as we please when we please and wherever we please. But this pandemic is testing the patience of everyone.
				But there is some consolation in knowing and accepting that we are all in this together. Pandemics know no boundaries. They affect everyone equally.
				So we must come up with ways to cope. We must plan carefully. We must utilize technology to stay in touch &ldquo;virtually.&rdquo; Emails, text messages, phone calls, social media are all ways to socialize without violating the rules of mitigation.
				Families have the distinct advantage here. You can play games together, watch movies together, go for rides together. You have each other for company.
				Those who are alone must seek out their family members and friends. And we should all be receptive and understanding as we guide each other to that glorious post-pandemic day.
				Yes, I want to go places, enjoy events and live life unfettered by this virus.
				But, sadly, I can&rsquo;t, you can&rsquo;t, nobody can.
				Stay strong. Stay safe.

Coping with Corona: Summer events will be missed