The past six weeks have been an interesting and taxing time. In the past half century of my life I haven’t experienced anything like the current state of affairs. I wonder what my parents would say if they were alive.

We live in a society where we have become accustomed to having the freedom to come and go as we please from our homes.

Due to COVID, we have had a plethora of those freedoms snatched away from us without notice.

I come from a very close-knit family who often gets together regularly. We usually attends church a couple days per week for Sunday morning worship and Wednesday night youth group and/or Bible study.

I miss spending time with extended family and close church friends.

My sister Karen has served on the Benton County Fair board for almost 20 years. For the first time in her years serving, there is uncertainty whether the 2020 county fair will happen. She tells me plans are going forward and they remain hopeful. The Minnesota State Fair for 2020 is also in jeopardy.

School children have had their lives uprooted and are implementing online learning. Graduating seniors will most likely not be allowed to walk across the stage and receive their diploma.

Because of COVID, we are not allowed to worship together at church. We cannot visit loved ones in the hospital.

A close family friend’s wife suffered a massive stroke earlier this week and he was not allowed to be at her bedside. He wept and the nurses who had to turn him away from his wife’s hospital room cried as they delivered the news to him that he could not see her.

These are challenging times. Yet I have hope. My faith in God gives me hope for a better future.

I have been blessed to be allowed to continue to work fulltime during the shelter in place order because my job at the newspaper (media) is deemed essential.

I am grateful it is spring and people are able to enjoy warmer days and flowers and being outside.

Many employers have allowed their employees to work from home. Technology has been a blessing at this time and allowed people to utilize video calls for meetings and people to video chat with their grandchildren they have not been able to spend time with.

Going to work as usual has allowed me the opportunity to retain that normalcy in my life. Yet, life has been drastically different since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the implementing of social distancing.

For many people whose occupations are not deemed essential, it has meant they are no longer working. Yet, instead of a enjoying a much needed respite or furlough, many people in my circle are left feeling frazzled and wondering how the bills will get paid instead of feeling refreshed after enjoying some time away from their jobs.

I am concerned about main street America and our economy. I struggle with the fact that large box stores are allowed to be open, yet locally owned businesses are still ordered to remain closed until at least May 4 and we pray that date will not be pushed out yet again. These local businesses still have mortgages to pay and staff who have also lost their jobs.

I do not understand why social distancing cannot be employed at small businesses.

I pray small businesses can rebound from these long term closures and that the American economy can rebound.

I visited with some local people about how they are keeping themselves busy with to cope with the COVID situation.

Austin Kollar (17) is a junior at Becker High School. His parents are Roy and Lisa Kollar and has siblings Corbin and Katelyn.

Austin would usually be attending school, playing lacrosse and working part time at Becker Community Center. He has been keeping himself busy doing his school work online but has had more free time than usual since he has not been working because the Community Center has been closed.

Austin loves the outdoors and started hunting and fishing with his grandfather (Louis Severson) at age 10. Austin hunts deer and turkey. His grandpa has been hunting his entire life.

Austin recently went out on his grandparents farm near Santiago (Gwen and Louis Severson)

“I enjoy getting out in the fresh air and the adrenaline. I went out turkey hunting around 7 a.m. and at around 8 a.m. Saturday and I was calling to him. He came up behind me, but I couldn’t get him to move in closer. He was about 50 yards out and gobbling non-stop at my Tom decoy. I managed to fire off a long shot (around 50 yards) and he was down.”

Austin said: “I enjoy the solitude hunting provides. I usually have to work weekends, but since I am not working right now, I was able to get out.”

I’m glad that some unexpected time away from work provided time for Austin an opportunity to get out and go hunting.

Despite the current situation and the uncertainty of returning to normalcy, I have much to be grateful for. I am counting my blessings and trusting the good Lord to see us through this stressful time.