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Two years into the pandemic, and I’m not sure how much to say that hasn’t been said already.
We’ve lost so many in this country in such a short window. To be able to sit here and write - is a humbling privilege and a blessing, one that’s never lost on me as the case counts skyrocket once more.
I am vaccinated. And just got my booster this week. The side effects made me feel like garbage, but it’s a small price to pay when faced with the alternative. This pandemic has changed the way I have thought about what it means to be a part of a community; it’s made me think clearly about my health and forced me to grapple with a sense of mortality. I have had friends and loved ones who have caught Covid. I am thankful that they survived, though some not without a lingering complication. There is still so much we don’t know about this awful virus, which seems even more obvious now as the world tries to grapple with Omicron. What we do know is masks. Testing. Distancing. Vaccines. All important steps to mitigate the spread for ourselves and our neighbors.
I do not know what 2022 has in store. I do know that 2020 taught me to be grateful and 2021 taught me to maintain a sense of perspective. I hope that 2022’s lesson will reveal the importance of maintaining your optimism in pursuit of a goal, because eventually you get there.
We all desperately want to go “back to normal,” whatever that means for each of us. And some days, it feels like we’re a long way away from it. But I am thankful for the ways that I’ve been able to be closer to family and friends than ever, for the kindnesses I’ve experienced from strangers (thanks, perhaps to a shared hopelessness?), and the tireless work of those in healthcare. Without question, they have risen to every challenge through this thing, and there aren’t enough good things to say about those on the front lines.
My hope is that a collective sense of community overwhelms society. We all know that’s a freaky dream of togetherness but it’s truly what is needed. I often say , this is the first time I can recall - when we really need one another. We need to be considerate. We need to take precautions. We need to pretend to care for others!!!! (Novel idea)!
For me, New Years celebrations will look different than they did in the Before Times; I am canceling a planned trip out of an abundance of caution (and fear). It’s not the way I planned things, but it’s a simple set back. I’ve become more patient because the pandemic demands it.
The holidays can be hard for a lot of people; be gentle with them. And as we enter Year Two of Covid, be gentle with yourself. We have been through some hard times even if we try to ignore that harsh reality. Love yourself and others Happy New Year.
