The weather in north central Ohio this weekend — high temperatures around 60 with rain and gusty winds — mirrors what we experienced at this time in 2019.
Beyond that, however, life for all of us has changed completely since late March 2019, thanks to the coronavirus.
Remember what you were doing a mere 12 months ago?
Remember when spring was in the air, not an unseen virus that has driven us all indoors? When dinner with friends was enjoyed at a local restaurant, not a meal shared over a live-streaming app?
At this time a year ago:
— Kari Eckenwiler and many local high school track athletes were competing in the Madison Invitational with lots of parents and fans in the stands to watch and cheer.
— The Lucas Cubs baseball team, coming off a long playoff run in football and a conference title in basketball (sound familiar?) were prepping for a great season on the diamond.
— March Madness was well underway in NCAA basketball with packed arenas across the country, including Columbus and Dayton.
— The Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds staged baseball opening days, an annual rite of passage in a state weary of winter.
— Local residents gathered together for a Richland Mall-walk event, culminating in local activities marking March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
— Plans were being announced for the mega local celebration planned to mark the 25th anniversary of the release of the “Shawshank Redemption” movie filmed largely in Mansfield.
— Local gas prices were skyrocketing with experts saying $3 per gallon by Memorial Day could be expected. (But there was plenty of toilet paper in the stores!)
— UMADAOP crews of young people, led by Issac David, were working around the City of Mansfield to beautify parks, downtown lots and more.
— The Mansfield Rising Plan was being clearly laid out in a daily series in Richland Source called “Ideas of March.”
Other than gazing back one year through wistful eyes, what is the purpose of reminding ourselves of what we were doing in the early spring of 2019?
Simply because it’s the best way to remind ourselves of what we will soon have again.
We have been through many tough times together, including global pandemics, economic downturns and recessions, wars, terrorist attacks, and many more.
We will also get through COVID-19.
The fact is eight in 10 who have the virus will experience mild, flu-like symptoms. They will treat it with over-the-counter medicines and carry on.
Too many people believe COVID-19 is a death sentence. It’s not. It’s a viral infection that will make some people sick. It will kill people. Influenza does the same thing and has killed 24,000 people this flu season already.
We all understand the need for social distancing and doing what we can to slow the spread. We have heeded the government and medical community’s warnings to turn inward and allow doctors, hospitals and scientists to do what they do best. We will continue to follow their advice and guidelines.
But beyond that, it’s important to maintain perspective and a sense of medical history and scientific realities. Take time to read reports of recent pandemics, including the 2009 swine flu.
Understand how medicine and science help us intervene during these times through treatments, medical devices and new-found scientific advancements, like the vaccine that now protects us against the H1N1 virus behind the swine flu.Â
Accept the simple fact some people will die no matter what we do, sadly enough.
And then create within yourself a stubborn unwillingness to live in abject fear.
Perhaps this pandemic has helped us reset on what’s really important. Petty disagreements and arguments of the recent past seem remarkably shallow and superfluous now.
Spring is here. Summer will follow. And we will literally all be together again soon.
(Richland Source city editor Carl Hunnell began work as a reporter in the news business in 1979, first moving to Mansfield in 1990.)
