Don Canney

Last weekend, while still adhering to the stay-at-home orders like many others, my wife and I found ourselves in the midst of spring cleaning. She was purging the many calendars collected during the year and discovered amongst them a very unique one I received as a birthday gift a while back.

Titled, “Time Passages” it was a commemorative yearbook calendar from the year I was born. I tell people that Abe Lincoln and I once played at recess together in elementary school. OK, I’m not quite that old, but looking at this calendar reminds me of how very different the world was back then. Better maybe? For some, that’s open to debate. The title itself brought me back to the once-popular Top 40 namesake tune by Al Stewart.

The calendar opens with a quote that is very applicable to today’s events, “The key to unlocking the door to our future opens with a journey into the past.” My interpretation: How can we adequately face our future if we do not understand our past? We should not only look back to days gone by to reflect on the good times, but to understand how we need to change and adapt to make us better prepared for the future. How often have we heard the phrase, “History repeats itself?”

We are most certainly living in trying times. News reports from this current pandemic reminded us of another deadly pandemic that shook this country in 1918. As a nation, we have encountered many diseases and viruses that have been eradicated over the years. We live in a country with the most advanced medical capabilities in the world, so we should be confident that COVID-19 will see that same fate with the many vaccine tests currently in the works.

I can remember as a child receiving the Salk polio vaccine while in school, when polio was a worldwide disease affecting much of that era’s youth. I can also remember an adhesive strip placed on my arm to test for tuberculosis, as TB was another menace of that day, as was as whooping cough, diphtheria, chicken pox and measles. All serious threats of the times, but today, all are well under control or eradicated.

Today, some complain about the need to social distance and follow CDC guidelines. But how much different is it than what we’ve observed in recent years with today’s technology? For those families that actually sit at a dinner table today, we see images of them on their phones playing video games or texting versus talking. They are physically together, but mentally miles apart. Others complain about wearing masks. OK, I get it. Sometimes they aren’t the most comfortable, but it’s not always about you! It helps others! Besides, looking on the bright side – men now can shave less and save money on razor blades, and women can save money on make-up! It’s a win-win!

Despite the constant barrage of doom and gloom from the media, we need to stay focused on the light at the end of this tunnel. And Lord knows, this tunnel seems like a very long one. But we can do this! We are starting to see some of the lock down restrictions eased. More people are out and about. Restaurants are open for outside dining. We can now get haircuts!

Granted, life will be a bit different for a while, but let’s choose to put a positive spin on it. Yes, masks will be more commonplace. But look at it as a fashion statement and a way of tolerating those who have not yet had their morning coffee. Stores will probably continue one-way aisles for a while. But look at it as a way of making shopping more efficient and keeping folks from kibitzing in the aisles.

So, until we normalize, wear your masks! Practice social distancing. Wash your hands, use sanitizer. The day is coming when we will look back on these as extremely trying times, but times when everyone pulled together for a purpose, pitched in and triumphed! And once again the quote, “The key to unlocking the door to our future opens with a journey into the past” will hold true.

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.

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