It’s 10:52 p.m. on Sunday night and I’m writing this editorial whilst sitting in a darkened room sipping a warm cup of coffee that’s resting to my right.
Yes, there’s definitely something to be said about the act of punching keys and creating sentences late into the night, especially when you are playing relaxing music in the background (I generally listen to instrumental tracks when I’m writing, as I find anything with lyrics distracts me).
So with that said, what will I be writing about this week? COVID-19!
I know I said last week that I didn’t want the paper to be filled with only news about the novel Coronavirus, but this is an editorial, not a news story. They are in fact two very different things, so hopefully you understand where I’m coming from.
Also, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on the world and how things have changed since the pandemic hit, and what better time and place to speak on said changes than here and now?
It’s been a couple weeks now since the virus really started to spread and society began shutting down. Social distancing has caused people to stay inside (at least I hope everyone is staying inside!) and we haven’t been able to do anything we normally do. This is really a once in a lifetime moment where everything has come to a grinding halt, and for me personally, it’s made me sit down and think about life and what the future has in store for me.
Can you honestly say you’ve accomplished everything you wanted in life? I can’t. And I’m sure most of you can’t, either.
So maybe once they come up with a vaccine for the Coronavirus and life starts to get back to normal we can all buckle down and go after what we really want in life.
If anything, COVID-19 has made me realize how much of my free time I’ve taken for granted. When this is finally over, I want to channel my energies for the better and know I made the most of my time on this Earth.
Finally, I want to say thank you to all the essential workers who are going above and beyond during this pandemic. Tyson Whitney is an award-winning journalist who was born and raised in Port Hardy. His family has lived in Port Hardy for more than 40 years. He graduated with a degree in writing from Vancouver Island University in 2008. Email: editor@northislandgazette.com