Bee-otch of the Day/Week Chuck69.com

When March began, we were all loaded with hopes and dreams.

We were all thinking about March Madness and prepping our brackets. Thoughts of getting drunk on green beer on St. Patrick's Day were on the tops of our minds. The 2020 presidential elections were on our minds.

But then, a virus that people thought would be a 'here today, gone tomorrow' thing like SARS and Ebola exploded out of nowhere.

Soon, the coronavirus started to become rampant, especially when Americans started to get infected. When a member of the Utah Jazz got COVID-19, the NBA suspended their season with the NHL following suit. NASCAR switched to virtual races and March Madness was canceled. The WWE ended up moving Wrestlemania to its tiny performance center in Orlando.

On March 16 here in Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered all movie theaters, schools and other huge places of mass gatherings to close. A week later, the edict was extended to nonessential businesses, such as shopping malls and clothing stores.

The virus has had its effect on the famous, infecting actor Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, Prince Charles, Kentucky senator Rand Paul, actor Idris Elba and just today, CNN host Chris Cuomo. Among those killed by COVID-19 include Country music legend Joe Diffie, Manu Dibango, the African jazz saxophonist whose 1972 hit "Soul Makossa" was an early influence on rap music and Alan Merrill, who originally wrote "I Love Rock 'N Roll" for his band The Arrows in 1975, but was made a bigger hit for Joan Jett and The Blackhearts in 1982. Because of Merrill's death, all three members of Arrows are now dead.

As of this writing, 857,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 worldwide, killing 42,000. Here in America, nearly 187,000 have the coronavirus and over 3900 have died from it. It has now killed more Americans than on 9/11.

It's true that Drumpf didn't hardly do a damn thing to stop COVID from happening in America. Same with Dubya with 9/11. Yes, we can point fingers and yes, we can play the blame game. But in reality, we have to look at the good in a dire situation like this.

Nineteen years ago, first responders sifted through the rubble of the World Trade Center day and night for months. The impact of the collapse of the Twin Towers was so intense, that what was inside of the buildings disintegrated into dust. Today, many of those on duty are either dead or dying.

When Bush's fake wars began, many Americans simply refused to join the military, like myself. But some had no choice but to and those wars took 4,500 of our brave men and women. It's a shame when one has to take a bullet for Uncle Sam. But now, many are taking many more in our own war against COVID-19.

Just today, I was talking with a nurse online. She told me that she cried a bit yesterday from the stress. She worries about losing a loved one but she can't quarantine herself. She couldn't even go on social media because of the pandemic. The same goes with all the other nurses and doctors who have no choice but to be on the front lines during this pandemic. Tonight on the NBC Nightly News, they showed a nurse who forced herself to quit her job because she could no longer deal with it.

As we all know, it's not just nurses and doctors who are on the front line daily. There's grocery workers who have to deal with sick people and people who have the virus but don't know it yet. Just today here in Grand Rapids, a man with COVID-19 died and the only place he ever went to outside of home was the supermarket. There are those who work in factories, like me. My shop is still open through this crisis since we're essential enough to stay open. I worry that since we're short-handed, we might end up with a temp worker who can't stay home because they don't have any type of sick pay. Trust me, we had a temp who came in with the flu and SNEEZED ALL OVER THE MEN'S BATHROOM SINK AND DIDN'T CLEAN UP HIS SNOT. I was exposed to that shit and I got sick myself.

And of course, there's my mother, who works in retail. I worry about seeing her when she cooks dinner for me. Even my father told me not to go see her, and I ignore him because, well, he's more paranoid about the pandemic than I am. Watching Fox News Channel nonstop will do that to you.

Look, this has been a tough month. It's tough knowing that we all can't be perfect when it comes to social distancing and self-isolating. We still need to do things like grocery shop and for some of us, work. Every time we get out of the house, we're at risk.

To those who are now risking their lives to make others better, thank you. Without you, this world can't rotate. As somebody whose aunt was an RN herself, I owe those who work in hospitals my deepest gratitude. We need more of you.

And for everybody out there, take care of yourself and each other. And yes, wash your hands.