“I do believe that hope- as a thing- has intrinsic value.” -Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Someday we’ll look back on the upheaval and tumult of this moment in history. Someday. But not today. I don’t know about you, but my present tense contains much fear, doubt, stress, anxiety and grief. Did I mention the anger? A pandemic comes without operating instructions, as it turns out, and we sit with the unease of so much fallout, already. I cry every day. That is one side of things.
There’s no right way to feel in a pandemic. There’s no wrong way, either.
On the other side of things is this one wild and precious life, all our wild and precious lives, now ordered in a wholly foreign way. Many work from home; many work from home without childcare. So many businesses closed; more will close in the weeks to come. I hope they reopen. Homebound, we find ourselves together, apart. My go-to in times of change and crisis is documenting, whether with camera or with pen (that and running). It helps clarify that even while things are broken and hard, joy persists. Love abounds. Hope mounts. It’s been almost a year since I blogged, and the virus confounds me. Still, I want to share what I’ve noticed- so much of it contains beauty. (And, I feel the need to clarify that our internet was out last Monday, so I worked from a friend’s home. I know, I know- not ideal- but with so much uncertainty everywhere, showing up to work seemed necessary).
Here is week one. In the midst of the heaviness, in my house life persisted, ordinary in the midst of complete abnormality. We also laughed, loved, let the light shine on our faces as best we could. We tried to err on the side of grace. We hoped. We hope. How are you doing, friends? We’re all in this together, even as we are, for a time, apart.
