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Camille Granito Mancuso: Chatterbox -- Carrying on

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Isn’t it amazing how we carry on?

Though, sadly, to cover all the bases we must acknowledge that some people don’t … but for the most part, we do. We stare down the barrel of whatever comes our way and just keep on keeping on.

For example, we’ve all been set back on our heels by this virus in many ways. It gave us very little that was positive, but it did give us a time during which we had our mettle tested. So, how are we doing? Let’s not just consider that answer as a nation or part of a world population, but as individuals too.

Our nation is mourning over a half million people who succumbed to the virus. The lucky among us carry on, including those who doubt there even is a virus. We recognize the doubters make up some percentage of Americans who didn’t take the precautions necessary, but most of us did our best with the limited knowledge we had in the beginning. Most are still fighting the good fight, but we were and never will be short on good fights to be fought, before, during, after, and with or without this virus.

How about aging? As it comes to us, or at us, we deal with it. If we don’t, it will only get us worse or sooner, so we’re either compromised or we perish. Our choices are completely limited. So, we carry on.

Many Chattereaders will remember the dear friend I met when we were both 5 years old. We went through school and life as friends. She dealt with cancer in seventh grade, and repeatedly throughout her life. She lost her first born, when he was 37, to an undetected heart ailment. She turned all her sorrow into working for the benefit of others … talk about carrying on.

Many Chattreaders will remember talking about a picture that hangs over my desk. It’s of another beautiful young gal who fought cancer. She was not as lucky as my friend; when the American health insurance system kicked her to the curb with its corporate, profit-oriented form of care, her family paid for as much treatment as they could afford. When they had nothing left but their home and a mound of debt, she closed up shop and waited to die. She was unwilling to buy a few more months by making her family homeless. She carried on, as long as she could, with grace.

As members of the human race, throughout subjugation and slavery around the world under conquering emperors and kings, through pestilence, plague, political unrest, and wars, we all carry on. Through personal crises, family woes, failing health, old age issues, emotional challenges and financial trouble, we carry on. Down through history, we can look back and see that all actions count, by us and others, for us and others. All steps forward are ways to carry on or enable others to carry on in our stead

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Some nations’ people face a life and death situation every day because of civil unrest. In many other nations around the world, including America, the challenges of daily life are far less deadly, but can still be difficult or even critical, especially for those who are ill or impoverished. Those fortunate enough to face less critical or temporary setbacks should make our blessings our constant reminders to share and to be as fair as possible, in ideology and altruism, locally and globally.

So, challenges and crises happen regularly for everyone. They’re big and small, and hit on a moment to moment basis. We almost always have little choice but to grab the bull by the horns and fight. This epidemic ushered in grave health, emotional, psychological and economic crises but they’re just some of the many setbacks we have always had to tackle throughout time. Before COVID, during it and after it, everyone, young and old, rich or impoverished, well or ill, every day, did, does, and will continue to fight issue after issue, big, small, trivial and deadly. It is the importance of society and every person’s individual imperative to play a positive part in it.

Decades ago, in a moment of my crazed, hurried and harried life, a young and very frazzled “me” said to my dad, “… it all takes so much out of me.”

“And …” he responded without hesitation, in his perfect and constant gratitude for life, “… that is why God put so much in you.”

I never forgot it.

We carry on.


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