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It's a phrase I'm sure that has been said, is currently being said or will be repeatedly said in the coming days throughout households in Central Missouri.
"I wish the coronavirus would go away so I could ..."
On Friday, it was my soon-to-be age 88 father that said it. He wanted to go to a specific grocery store because he said you can get some things there he can't find anywhere else.
He didn't really want to go the grocery store, he just wanted to go somewhere. And do something that didn't involve staring at the same walls for the latest in a seemingly endless string of days.
But as an 87-and 11-month person, his three children stress to him he has no business going anywhere. Not that we have to do it often, he knows he shouldn't go out. He's been in his house for almost two weeks and while his head knows he needs to stay there for his health, the man who my friends have described as "spry" has his moments of frustration with the situation.
We don't have him under lock and key. When the weather is good, he takes short walks around the neighborhood. Friday, he worked to get the riding mower started for the year and cut some grass.
While the news staff at the News Tribune are all currently working from their respective homes, the page designers for now are still coming to the office to work. I noticed my father would sit on the other side of the room when I next saw him, it took me a couple of days before I realized he was practicing social distancing without us actually talking about it after my being out.
My father knows he's fortunate to have children looking out for him, just as his children know they are fortunate to have him around to look out for him. And he has friends calling to check on him to see if he needs anything, while he's fine, it's good he has someone else to talk to beside me on a daily basis.
Here comes the sappy part of the column. Look out for each other, check on your neighbors and your family. A five-minute phone call or an offer to run an errand might not mean that much to you, but it just might to them.
"I wish the coronavirus would go away so I could go the grocery store."
"I wish the coronavirus would go away so I could go the movies."
"I wish the coronavirus would go away so I could go out to eat with my friends."
For me, it's "I wish the coronavirus would go away so I could have gone to watch Helias and Fatima play baseball last Tuesday at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex."
We just lost our first week of scheduled spring sports. We're going to lose the schedule this week and the week after that as an absolute minimum. Don't be surprised if it's longer than that. The Missouri State High School Activities Association said it has backup plans to its backup plans that if the opportunity presents itself, there will be state competition in the spring sports.
It's terrible all of us are missing out on things we took for granted just a month ago. I'm missing the often bemused looks of the news reporters when the circus that is the sports department rolls into the office in the afternoon. I'm missing swapping stories with Ben or Jessica or Josh while we are doing our jobs at Helias or Jefferson City baseball games. I'm missing trying to figure out how to cover five events on one night with four people.
But if it's for the greater good to do everything we can to make sure everyone stays as healthy as they can, we can deal with whatever comes in the next few weeks to get back to our "normal" lives.
The Green Bay Packers had a strain of the flu going through their locker room late last season. Wide receiver Davante Adams had some sage advice for his teammates to stay healthy and avoid becoming sick, "Wash your hands, wash your "
But I can't really say what else you should wash. But I guess I just did. Wash it.
Stay safe, stay patient. And be happy all the toilet paper jokes have started to go away.