“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

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While coping and battling the coronavirus pandemic may not be as arduous as journeying through Middle Earth to Mount Doom, fighting Sauron and legions of orcs along the way, Tolkien’s words in The Fellowship of the Rings certainly chime true.

No one wanted – or thought – we would see anything like this in our lifetimes. Few would have thought we ever would see an all-but-desolate Main Street on a Saturday afternoon and even fewer would have imagined lines at grocery stores with limited admittance and short supplies.

That, unfortunately, is our reality – at least for a time – before we return to what likely will be a new normal that could last for months, if not longer.

Where Tolkien’s musings ring especially true, though, is what we decide to do “with the time that is given us.”

Many throughout Greater Nashua and the Souhegan Valley have used their shelter-in-place time – or their time away from work – to volunteer and assist fellow community members.

Some, like the two Nashua School District educators we featured on Saturday’s front page, have utilized their time and talents to 3D print masks for medical professionals and others in need.

Others have helped the United Way of Greater Nashua and other service organizations with collecting and distributing donated necessities, even delivering food to those who are unable to leave their homes because of pre-existing health conditions.

Those people – and many others – have made a huge impact in our community and are worthy of recognition and praise. They definitely have used the time given them well.

That said, one thing that comes to my mind when reflecting on Tolkien’s passage is taking time during this crisis to cherish family and loved ones.

Admittedly, I am not the best at keeping in touch with friends and family members, who at this point in my life, are spread across the country, from coast to coast.

Without question, it is not because I don’t care – or even want to – but oftentimes I get busy and laser-focused on tasks at hand and simply forget. While social media helps, it’s not the same as hearing those voices on the other end of the phone.

For me, the only close family I have left is my older brother, Mickey, who also works at The Telegraph.

Fortunately, we have been close all our lives and are more like best friends than brothers. Although we live together and are close, sometimes we even pass like ships in the night, with few words or quality time doing the things we enjoy.

With the reality of COVID-19, I have realized that time must be made for the important things in life.

Even if its just a five-minute phone call, an email or a quick text message, its vital that we keep in touch and check on the ones we love.

The old adage that you never know what you have until it’s gone really resonates now.

Looking back, I wish I would have spent more time with my parents and grandparents in their later years. All have long passed, and I often find myself yearning for their words of wisdom and comforting presence.

So, I would like to encourage everyone reading this today to take just a few minute to reach out to family members, friends and neighbors to just say hello. With social distancing in full swing, a phone call can make all the difference in the world to someone who may be lonely and needing to hear a familiar voice. This situation likely allows most a little more time to connect and reconnect with those who are important to us.

That, indeed, would be “using the time that is given us” wisely.

Matthew Burdette may be reached at 603-594-1240 or mburdette@nashuatelegraph.com. Follow him on Twitter @Telegraph_MattB.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This content is being provided for free as a public service to our community during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Telegraph at https://home.nashuatelegraph.com/clickshare/checkDelivery.do;jsessionid=40C089D96583CD7318C1C1D9317B6162.

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