COMMENT:
I've been thinking a lot lately about resilience. Maybe it's because of the online course I recently took about the subject. Partly it's because Covid-19 has delivered a universe of stories about how, where, when and if we'll bounce back as a global community after the virus has had its way with us.
I was doing laundry in the garage last weekend while listening to American radio (NPR). The stories provide a soundtrack for domestic life. They inform and shape my understanding of current events and history. They're also a buffer against the drudgery of sorting sweaty shirts, trying to fold fitted sheets and emptying the umpteenth load of dishes from the dishwasher, which my teenagers should've done hours ago.
In the midst of cold, clutter and chores, I hear the voice of a man in Texas who lost his job, which led to his family's eviction. Daniel Garcia is sole provider for his family. His wife uses a wheelchair. He's a diabetic, a stroke survivor and has a criminal record, making it extra tough to find a job. Garcia had sold what he could to keep paying rent, including a lawnmower he bought to do yards, his son's PlayStation and two wedding rings. Garcia described how he, his wife and son lived in a moving truck for three nights before finding a motel to live in. He's working landscaping jobs for $10 an hour to keep a roof over their heads. He cried while telling the interviewer he felt he had failed his family.
This is where I lose it. Tears drop onto smelly socks. It's not just sadness I feel for Garcia; it's guilt about my own family's house. Not just having one, but fixing it up, too, while people worldwide are getting tossed from their homes. It's like choosing a kitchen tap, new benchtop and waste disposal while the Titanic sinks. Garcia said he hoped to make enough money to eventually rent an apartment for his family. "My belief is there's something always better and bigger at the end of the day. You know, God will turn around and bless us."