Above / Two-year-old Mariko is our twinkling yoga “star” in her “Wizard of Oz” pajamas! (Photo courtesy Jeff Penick)
Words are important. Most of us use them. Many individuals add adjectives and adverbs to enhance the meanings of words to make stories more interesting and exciting.
Right now, it’s our high hope that members of the news media set aside all adjectives and adverbs that intend to influence and distort the facts with sensationalism.
We all wish we had more certainty. We all wish we knew the unintended consequences when faced with so many unknowns and economic shutdowns. We all wish the experts would get it right.
Be open minded. Be vigilant. Be resilient. Be hopeful.
All that said, I can safely say unequivocally that the distance between times to hug and babysit our 2-year-old granddaughter during this stay-at-home period – times when watching her curiosity are a joy to experience – is almost unbearable for me.
The other evening when Mariko’s dad let me talk to her on his cell phone, she said, “Gotta go night-night now, Grandma.”
Mariko doesn’t always like the intrusion of talking on cell phones. In fact, she’s been known to push electronic devices away. You might say already she’s figured out how to get rid of me in this push-button high-tech world!
During the last two Sundays in March, Jeff and Katherine arranged a “play date” for us with Mariko. With a webcam now set up on this computer, Mariko used her dad’s laptop to show her grandpa and me her favorite toys from the toy box her Great Uncle Jim built; read letters from the alphabet that stand for the people/places/things in her life (Certainly her other Grandma and I love when she says, “‘G’ is for Grandma.”); counted to 20; and demonstrated at least 10 yoga positions she’s learned recently – all while her mother was “making pizza.”
Just before dinnertime, our very organized granddaughter put things back where she’d found them, an admirable trait she’s inherited from her mother.
Back where we found them
Oh! How we all desire to be back where we found ourselves at the beginning of March. That’s when our primary focus on local activities included the Rotary Sunrise St. Paddy’s Day 5K and the West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Parade to kick-off outdoor fundraising events for spring.
Instead, on March 17, most businesses were ordered to shut down. Too few Americans voted. And now we’re all learning to live in close quarters with people we love the most.
While I cherish rich history, local lore and traveling to historic sites – experiences that always contribute to my understanding of where we’ve been – I especially enjoy looking forward, asking myself repeatedly, “What have you done lately?”
That’s why all the years of publishing this monthly independently-owned newspaper, augmented by our website, are so important to me. For 18-plus years, Positively Naperville has been a preview of what’s ahead more than a review of what’s already happened, supported by a wide range of community-focused businesses and contributing columnists who help share the can-do spirit and unmet needs of this active city.
Longtime PN readers likely recall when our first eight-page publication was launched on September 1, 2001, just in time to be distributed during the Jaycees Labor Day Parade, eleven days before the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center were attacked. And that we’ve been digging in our heels ever since to look at the bright side of life in this remarkable city, growing four to eight printed pages at a time.
Mindful of more ups and downs than we can count, we keep moving forward.
We encourage you to find an old photo album or pack of photos that bring back fond memories. Focus on good times and resolve. Reminisce with your family. Share stories. Call friends. Connect.
As I sit at my desk top, I also can see a red-topped battery-operated recorder that plays five memorable words from my father who died Aug. 6, 2019, at the age of 96.
One of many keepsakes of my witty and wise dad was created by my brother, Jay, who saved one of Dad’s voicemails. Dad didn’t like leaving voicemail messages. Last summer during a call when Jay’s message asked Dad to leave a voicemail, Dad replied, “What the hell’s going on?”
A pandemic is going on
What we know is going on is a pandemic. Coronaviris (aka COVID-19) is not discriminating, so we must carry on in sync, keep calm and be prepared.
Take precautions. Wash your hands. Cover coughs and sneezes. Be a good example for young ones who might be watching. Help them feel safe. Eat nourishing food. Drink plenty of liquids. Exercise.
Stay home if at all possible. Practice staying six feet apart (social distancing) from other individuals. It’s OK to take walks outside and use trails in local parks.
Stick to the facts. Use commonsense. Stay healthy.
Go find old photo albums that bring back fond memories. Share stories. Listen.
Write down your thoughts.
Clear an area on a table and begin a jigsaw puzzle.
Play charades. Play Celebrity Fish Bowl. Play board games.
Find a deck of cards. Practice shuffling. Play solitaire. Deal for gin, bridge, euchre or poker. Just deal!
Deal with facts
We have found www.worldometers.info/coronavirus to be a simple international resource with current facts, up-to-date charts and good info.
With the unpredictability of this pandemic, webmaster Tim and I want to reassure our readers that every attempt will be to keep you up-to-date with hyperlocal news posts, aiming to be a trusted source of information brought to you by our forever-appreciated sponsoring advertisers and monthly subscribers. Throughout these challenging times, factual information from reliable sources must remain accessible.
Further, since January 22, 2020, our website has been providing coronavirus info. We’ll be putting a special page with links together once this print issue is hot off the press.
We know this post is long. It comes with age. We’re aware some of our thoughts reflect our bias for upbeat news, peppered with our opinion to focus on positive outcomes. You gotta have high hopes.
– Stephanie Penick, PN Publisher
Updated with photos of Mariko on April 4, 2020.
Thanks to everyone who has been sending letters to the editor and providing feedback with encouragement since PN hit the streets on April 1. All of your kind thoughts truly are appreciated as we face these uncharted challenges together while staying at home and at least six feet apart.
