It was the last 30 seconds or so of Premier Scott Moe鈥檚 daily COVID-19 when something peculiar happened. He spoke to the current restrictions that will possibly leave us at a distance from our mothers as their day approaches.
As he took a self-proclaimed 鈥渟elfish moment鈥� to tell his mother and wife how much they are loved because he will not be with them this Mother鈥檚 Day, he broke. His voice cracked and you could clearly see he was fighting off the urge to let it out.
鈥淢any are going to be wishing their mothers and the mothers of their children a happy Mother鈥檚 Day through the telephone, FaceTime or through a glass window if they are in a long-term care facility,鈥� said Moe.
鈥淢yself, like many others, will not be spending Mother鈥檚 Day with my mom or the mother of my children. I would take this very selfish opportunity to wish them a very happy Mother鈥檚 Day. And to the rest of the mothers of this province, I would just say thank you for all you do,鈥� said Moe.
A small moment can show you so much. This pandemic has taken so much out of everyone. Even the man who is tasked with guiding a province. In one moment, as politicians rarely do, we saw a man behind the suit and stature.
The job as a provincial leader is one based on a constant barrage of scrutiny, difficult decisions and very little space reserved to be who you are behind closed doors. The job demands perfection of sorts. Anything less, we in the media and in public will find a way to pick it out and expose whatever we can.
We put our faith in a system, and whenever it wrongs us, we have someone to point to, and that鈥檚 Moe.
It might be safe to assume we鈥檝e all had a moment like Moe did on May 8. This pandemic has shaken not only Saskatchewan but the world. We have all been forced to completely shut down the way we have lived this whole time and start from scratch.
Most of us have the luxury of only dealing with our direct circles. Who we are in those circles, does not shake a whole province. We are who we are in our little worlds and for the most part wrong choices serve little repercussions.
Moe does not have that luxury. In a single moment, you could see a flash of a spring election, scrutiny of a delayed pandemic response, outbreaks in the north and a tanking economy build up to what could be seen as a straw that broke the camel鈥檚 back: distance from the ones who really know and love you the most.
I don鈥檛 take this moment to sit here and tell you to throw away your political beliefs or feel bad for someone because they showed some emotion. Take a moment and understand not only the position we are in as the general public, but the position the people who actually have to make decisions to keep the majority as safe as possible, whether you think they are doing a great job or not.
We are all human and this has hurt us all, even the ones who sit atop their legislative thrones.
Things are starting to somewhat progress in a positive direction. Take the time to look at everyone you come across, be it online or in passing, and understand we all are in this together.
At the present moment, we don鈥檛 have access to all of the things we normally do to distract ourselves. We are all looking forward to the day we can get back on our favourite patios, and go see our favourite musicians and favourite sports teams play.
Those days are getting closer the more success social distancing and constant testing have.
Until that day comes, we have each other and the messages we put out into the world. Hopefully, more for the better and not for the worse.
If we鈥檙e lucky, we鈥檒l move past this and gain a greater understanding of what happens when we stop pointing fingers and stick together.
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