A small reflection on this global event we are unexpectedly participating in. I am very much a proponent of social distancing in these times; it is a proven method of keeping safe and actively stopping the spread of this horrible virus. Because we have kept at it, we are slowly making progress in its defeat. But we need to not get cocky. Epidemics, especially flu epidemics, are notorious for making irrational changes in their trajectories, as well as for surging back when humans think they’re done.
That said, I hope we all are thoughtful and cautious about leaving the restrictions at the right time, and the right rate. Heed what the medical and scientific people have to say.
It’s hard. And it’s strange. We have to stay apart. If you have family in your house, you are not alone. But – we’re not together in person with other friends or with our church families. And further, no two of us are going through the exact same thing. Some people know friends who have the virus. Some people have it themselves. Some have tragically lost people they’ve loved.
On other levels, for a few, this is a minor inconvenience. For a lot of people, this is a time of innovation and learning new skills and creating new processes for work, school, and even recreation. For some lucky folks this is a time of affection and cocooning. For others, a time of courage, generosity, an emboldening of spirit.
The irony is, as we travel through this together in our separate ‘bubbles’ of distancing, we are also separated by the uniqueness of our own personal situations. In moments of stress, we want to cry out – ‘Yes, we’re all going through this, but you’re not going through what I am!’ and I am not going through what you are. More than ever, this has created our own unique stories to add to the tales of our lives. We are unique individuals, and this experience belongs to each of individual uniquely.
Be patient with other’s stories. Hope that they will be patient with yours. Seek solace and offer peace. In comforting each other in our individual struggles we remove the aloneness and create ties that knit us together. We are all separate strands, but we make a wonderful fabric – even in hard times.
Stand back, stay safe, & and say ‘I love you’ to those you love.
