Published in the April 7, 2020 edition.
By GAIL LOWE
WAKEFIELD — It was as though the driver of a Brinks armored truck had left a million dollars at my front door last week when a package containing dishwashing liquid arrived from Amazon.
These days, I am doubling down on taking nothing for granted — not even toilet paper. Here we are, in the midst of COVID-19, and already one person I know has died while his wife continues her own battle at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington.
Yes, in times like these a simple product like dishwashing liquid has become a luxury, at least to my way of thinking. Those who have been on the hunt for disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer would no doubt agree.
In just four weeks, life has changed in these United States and in most other countries around the world. What I took for granted a month ago now seem like a lost treasure found when Amazon drops off something I need. Here’s the short list of products recently delivered: chip clips, a box of Paper Mate Sharp Writer pencils I use for my work, a package of vacuum cleaner bags, a book I’ve wanted to read. The current list ends there, but I’m sure there’ll be other things I’ll need at some point.
I’ve returned to living simply with few expectations and now I simply live. What else can anyone do when we’re asked to stay at home to prevent the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus?
Now, I restrict errands to grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions. While out last week, I took a quick ride to see what was happening around town. Not much, I soon discovered. The Square was quiet, and Market Street in Lynnfield had taken on the appearance of long-ago Sundays when the Blue Laws were in effect. Though the times are difficult, there is something nostalgic and lovely to see a once bustling parking lot empty for a change.
Just as I am, people in Wakefield and beyond are huddling inside their homes, but they’re not just sitting in front of a TV or computer. They’re also living simply and simply living, and I love reading (and sometimes writing) about what they’re up to on the Wakefield Community Group’s Facebook page.
There’s a man in Wakefield who has recently passed the time doing something few of us would ever think to do. Michael Ercolini wrote on his Facebook home page that he had been laid off two weeks ago, and he’s the type of guy who can’t sit idle.
“So I decided to build a house,” he wrote. Using popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, bamboo skewers, match sticks and toothpicks, Michael poured over 100 hours into building his little home.
“It’s the first tangible piece of art I’ve created in over 20 years,” he said. Facebook members can see Michael’s creation on his home page. Would he have taken on this project if he had been working a full-time job? Maybe. Maybe not.
Here’s something else: who knew there were so many fabulous cooks in town, starting with Town Councilor Paul DiNocco? Paul also showcases his fabulous culinary concoctions on Facebook. So does Gloria Mezikofsky of WCAT’s “Glo’s Eatery.” Then, there have been the artistic endeavors of kids in town who were invited to participate in a Fourth of July drawing contest. Like Michael and Gloria’s, their work is also posted on the Wakefield Community Page.
Food and art aren’t the only things being posted on Facebook. People like Wakefieldians Kellie Tropeano and her daughters Elly and Tessa are using their vocal talents to entertain us.
What would we do without social media, a platform being used to show us how people are surviving during these grueling times? By nature, we are social creatures and need connections to others for the sake of our physical and mental health.
People who post on Facebook are also teaching us that living simply has merit. Instead of complaining, they are creating moments of joy for the rest of us.
The novel coronavirus is teaching us something else: that living simply and simply living is a fine path to take because we are all getting back to the basics. What’s really important has nothing to do with money, high-end cars, designer fashions, upscale restaurants and other entrapments. It has to do with “first things first” — family, friends, sharing, connecting, putting talents to good use, and, if you believe in God as I do, then Him, too.
Someone in Wakefield used colored sidewalk chalk in an artful way to spread another important message: “And the world came together as the people stayed apart.”
As officials are telling us so often, we’re all in this together. And isn’t that a wonderful thing? Imagine what it would be like if we had to endure this severe challenge alone. I, for one, have come to love living simply as I simply live. In fact, I have never experienced so much peace.
Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh said in a Boston Globe article this week: “We need prayers right now.” How spot on he is. In ending, I offer my prayers for every Wakefield resident. May you all stay healthy as you live simply and simply live.
