These are not easy days. COVID-19 seemingly is stopping the world from spinning as daily and normal life starts to grind to a halt in order to stop the spread of this novel coronavirus.

This is something that’s going to be with us for a while and it’s something that’s going to require some sacrifice by all of us. It’s going to be easy to let tempers and fears take control. It’s understandable, but it’s also something that’s going to need to be controlled.

Recently, stores in Austin and around the country are struggling to keep up with the demands as shelves of disinfectant, toilet paper and other necessities are stripped bare as people attempt to stock up for the long haul of self-quarantine. There are even concerns that global supply won’t be able to keep up should this continue.

This is already a troubling period in our history, but we can’t make it more difficult by buying up everything as soon as possible.

Austin’s Hy-Vee is taking steps to limit purchases of toilet paper to two packages and we feel this is a good move in order to ensure everybody has access to these necessities.

We also want to take this opportunity to urge calm when shopping for these or any other items. It’s easy to see how one might be frustrated with the lack of goods, but remember, the people working these shelves — oftentimes teenagers — are not responsible for shortages and are already under a great deal of strain just to keep the shelves filled.

It may be that this isn’t a big problem in Austin and we certainly hope this is the case, but nonetheless, this is a reminder to show patience in the face of these new challenges.

In truth we hope you will take the time to show a little extra kindness to these employees as well as employees at all the local businesses and restaurants you may frequent. Take the time to say “thank you” or maybe offer an extra smile. Continue to support these businesses in the days to come.

As famed Canadian entertainer Red Green was fond of saying, “Remember I’m pulling’ for ya — we’re all in this together.”