To the Editor,
My letter is in reply to ‘Demand an end to mask mandate’ written by a self-described overweight 45-year-old from Timothy Lake who seems to have a problem with senior citizens.
The only reason that ‘these elders’, as you call them, are sitting comfortably in their mortgage-free homes, is because they worked their butts off all their lives. Not working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but often 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., earning much less than some of you now earn per hour. They grew their own vegetables, took second or third jobs to make ends meet. Saving a little for a rainy day or to be mortgage-free later in life.
We were responsible for ourselves, we didn’t expect handouts from the government, nor did we get them. These were jobs like cleaning other peoples’ houses, cleaning toilets, picking strawberries, picking hops in hops fields - yes, I have done all that and much more. There are jobs no one wants to do anymore, which is why we have to employ migrant workers. We didn’t have ‘fun’. We got up in the morning, we had a job to do and we just got on with it.
Perhaps you haven’t achieved anything in your life so far, but don’t knock the people who have. If you are willing to risk your life, then all the power to you. I’m 72 years old, have worked hard all my life and intend to live and enjoy it. By the way, I am one of those senior citizens living in a mortgage-free home. I don’t have Internet and I don’t shop online. My suggestion to you is to start walking, lose some weight, get a second job (if you already have a first) and save a little money. It may help with your self-esteem.
To all the young ones out there, do as the health minister and government ask you to do. Protect your parents and grandparents and everyone else in your community. Wear your masks, don’t gather in large groups. It won’t be for much longer and in years to come you can look back on all of this and say ‘I was there when COVID-19 hit and I did my part to save lives and I was proud of it!’
Rosemary Theobald
Eagan Lake
newsroom@100milefreepress.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.