My sister, Leah, celebrated her birthday on April 30, which of course reminded me how I had wanted to fly to Kelowna last year to surprise my sister for her 40th birthday, but the pandemic hit.
Governments have been advising people not travel since March of 2020 and I took those recommendation seriously. When I decided not to travel last year to visit my sister, niece, nephews and brother-in-law, who live in B.C., I totally expected a year later we would have beaten the pandemic. But fast forward a year and we are still faced with the COVID-19 pandemic. The various provincial governments continue to advise against travel, yet far too many people are not only travelling between provinces, but also between countries.
Never in my life, have I seen so many people disregard health orders and recommendations from various levels of government, which include provincial, federal and municipal.
My dad taught me at a young age of the importance to have the ability to sacrifice for the greater good, such as is needed to excel as a university student and a high performance athlete. My dad also taught me the importance of the ability to delay gratification.
Why is still so difficult for people to put off travelling for a year and in this case of the pandemic up to two years? Why is it so difficult for people to do what is right in order to keep others safe from the pandemic?
It’s up to each and everyone of us to look out for family members, friends, neighbours and community members. Please do your part and be part of the solution and not part of the problem.