I have hope

I have hope, and I have a whole lot of it, although we are in a disruptive and challenging situation.

I have hope, a lot of it.  First off, we each can help make things better, and for once, it’s pretty easy. When we stay home as much as possible, maintain our social distance when we run into people on a dog walk, limit our trips to the grocery store, and wash our hands a lot, we play an essential role in turning things around. When the weather is good here in McMinnville, Oregon (not too often these days), my stepdaughter comes over with our grand-daughters, and they jump on a trampoline we got for them to use. We hang out, keeping our social distance, and making sure we wipe down whatever we all touch. I bring this up because it’s something we did before, it feels normal, it makes us all happy to be together but most of all, it gives me hope that we can and will carry on.

 

I have hope because I see companies and individuals who are stepping up to help. My favorite example is Fanatics, a company that makes team sports apparel.  If you want to buy a replica jersey with your favorite player’s name and number, you buy it from Fanatics. They’re the official team store for all major sports leagues and their teams.  They also have a contract with major league baseball to manufacture the uniforms for all the major league teams.  They do this work in their Philadelphia plant.  It turns out the material they use to make uniforms is the same material used to make the protective masks and gowns health care workers use. They are now making masks and gowns instead of uniforms. Several professional athletes have stepped up and contributed large sums of money to the at-will workers (ushers, concession stand employees, ticket takers, etc.) who were only paid for the games they worked.  The Portland Trail Blazers players have contributed over a million dollars to these workers. Many other athletes and their teams have done the same. Mortgage companies are offering forbearance on mortgage payments, and grocery stores have designated hours for seniors to shop, as we are the most vulnerable to COVID-19.  And there are many more examples of people and companies deferring their short-term interests for

 

I get hopeful when I see our elected officials doing what they can to ensure our- being.  Oregon just sent 140 ventilators to New York.

The country is pulling together to stop this virus.  Stay at home orders help position us to do our part. All of this makes me believe we understand that we’re all in this together, and together we’ll make it through.

 

Besides the selfless work of our health care workers, I’m encouraged by the service workers who keep on truckin’. I hope that when we get through this, we’ll remember and continue to show appreciation for the are making sure we get what we need: cashiers and clerks in supermarkets, pizza delivery people, etc. They’re doing their jobs and trying to stay safe, and at the same time, managing to help us get what. I was food shopping in a store that was somewhat unfamiliar to me, so I had to ask clerks where to find certain items.  Each person I asked was courteous and helpful and made sure I knew where to go while maintaining social distance.  At check out, I had the option of using my own bags if I did my own bagging, which I was doing when I realized I did not have my wallet.  No problem: the cashier bagged my groceries in-store bags while I rushed home to get my wallet (which had fallen out of my pants pocket into my dirty laundry hamper).  While I’m at it, I hope we all acknowledge all the people who deliver products we’ve ordered online, and our postal workers.  I hope these workers understand that they have become essential in helping us stay safe. I hope we remember this when things are back to normal.

 

And last but not least, I have hope that things will return to normal, when that happens I hope we remember how we all pulled together to do our part to stop the virus. I’m excited at the thought of resuming Friday night movie nights with my granddaughters, with candy, popcorn, and a sleepover at our house. I hope to have dinners with friends, go to movies, and stop to chat with people when my wife and I walk Cosmo Poodle.  Finally, when all of this is over, and baseball, football.  I hope that basketball returns, and I hope will all my heart that the Yankees will win the world series.  I hope that the New York Giants will break my heart a lot less, that the Portland Trailblazers will recapture their mojo, that the Oregon Ducks will continue their high level of play in football and men’s and women’s basketball, and last but not least, that the New York Knickerbockers will no longer suck ( which is likely the only thing beyond all hope).

 

– Edward from McMinnville, Oregon, a FAR customer who is finding purpose in this new stage of his life.

 

 

 

 

 

Edward

Edward writes for FAR and is also a customer.  He is 73-year-old, born and raised in and around New York City. After college and a little graduate school, he took Horace Greeley’s advice and went west.  Edward lived in several cities throughout California and currently resides in Oregon.  He practiced law for a few years as part of a law collective doing what they called “people’s law,” but spent most of his career working as an internal organizer for the unions.

 

When Edward’s career ended with the unions, he was determined to become an advocate for older adults.  He enrolled at Portland Community College studying Gerontology.  He learned a lot about aging and how it applied to his own life experiences and my own aging process. Much of Edward’s writing is related to what he learned in his Gerontology studies.

 

* The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the Finance of America Reverse (LLC).

 

This article is intended for general informational and educational purposes only, and should not be construed as financial or tax advice. For more information about whether a reverse mortgage may be right for you, you should consult an independent financial advisor. For tax advice, please consult a tax professional.