We all have roles that require more of us than we think we have to give. Not because we are martyrs but because there are people and events that are bigger and more important than we are.
This is one of those times.
And while it is tempting – while it is human nature in fact – to curl into a ball on the bathroom floor and curse the fate that has befallen us, we must rather pick ourselves up and simply do what must be done, however best we can do it.
So go ahead and eat all the Oreos and the Doritos and whatever makes you happy. But also eat some vegetables every once in awhile because they’ll make you feel better.
Get frustrated at your lack of personal space and your lack of productivity. But also enjoy talking around the dinner table or going for walks around the block instead of rushing off to some practice or meeting.
Stare at screens and watch movies. But also remember to read a book and listen to music and make art and watch plays. While doctors will save our bodies, artists will save our souls.
Grieve. Grieve the things that you will miss – performances and graduations and celebrations and weddings. But don’t let grief blind you to the joy and happiness that this new normal will bring.
If you feel the urge to make bread from scratch or learn a new language or reorganize all your closets, go for it. But don’t stress out if you’re just barely keeping your head above water.
Take your medicine. Blood pressure medicine and vitamins and xanax. But also the kind of medicine that doesn’t come in a bottle. A breath of fresh air in your backyard, a drive in your car with the music turned way up, a bubble bath with a good book, a box full of girl scout cookies.
Stay connected. Embrace the technology that allows us to see and hear each other as if we are in the same room, but don’t forget the intimacy of old fashioned phone calls and handwritten notes. Even if physical separation robs us of the daily rituals and interactions that give us comfort, remember that distance is a term of geography, not of the heart.
There are times that require more of ourselves than we think we have to give. This is one of those times.
And it will soon be evident whether we are equal to the moment.
What will we learn of ourselves?
Will we be like educators and restaurants and manufacturers and arts organizations who have shifted their business models on a dime to fill the needs of today, even at the cost of their bottom line, or will we stubbornly cling to a vision of what we think life should look like?
Will we embrace our humility and listen to doctors and epidemiologists or will we sacrifice our moral compass on the altar of demagogues who flaunt the truth for the sake of expediency and convenience?
Will we act together in our physical separation to protect the vulnerable – not just those whom the virus randomly ravages, but also the doctors, nurses and other health care workers who rush headlong into battle without enough armor or support – or will we let our convenience and arrogance put the lives of millions at risk?
There is an enormous toll this will take on us, physically, financially, and emotionally. But the thing that has always made America great, as DeToqueville wrote, is that we are good. Many times as a nation we have sacrificed our lives and our well-being for people we have never met.
Just remember there were other times in your
life that you didn’t think you would survive. But you did. We will survive this too.
And one day when someone asks you about the pandemic of 2020, you will be able to look them in the eyes and say it was hard but it was also beautiful. Because, as it turns out, we were equal to the moment after all.
#LoveHard
#StayHome
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