We fell asleep in one world, and woke up in another.
Suddenly Disney is out of magic,
Paris is no longer romantic,
New York doesn't stand up anymore,
the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty.
Hugs & kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents & friends becomes an act of love.
Suddenly you realise that power, beauty & money are worthless, and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for.
Public life is at a standstill here in Durango, but it seems public debate has accelerated. With so much time to read, listen to podcasts and the TV, everything is up for debate. But where can that debate happen if we are all isolated? As you look at how the world has tried to adjust, how businesses try to 'stay alive' and how different populations in the country respond, the conundrum of our reality becomes the debate.
My little neighborhood of 28 homes appears to be 'doing it right', following the rules, keeping our distance when we converse in the street or between properties, wearing masks, taking solo hikes or bike rides, eating home, shopping little and getting a host of little jobs done. There are families home schooling, gardens getting a face lift, windows being washed and lots of experimental cooking happening. (I plan to try pretzels today!) And one small view that passes by my window each day is the elevated online shopping being done as witnessed by the steady passing of Fed-Ex and UPS trucks.
Is this our new normal? Can we return to the old normal or was that the problem in the first place? Will this time of mandated closures teach us anything? Will our previous certainties and convictions be swept away? Just as the opening thoughts suggest, many of the things we thought were infallible or impossible are now happening.
Here we are, the mighty USA, masked and gloved to go out of our house. The scene below is repeated in every grocery store in Durango. Or you can call every store and order ahead, being privileged to curb side delivery.
I beg you...stay the course. Let's avert those worst-case scenarios being published. Let us dry the tears and once again find peace on earth.