"And we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun..." (John Lennon, Instant Karma)
It's Christmas, and as
has been the case for a while now, I'm just not quite sure what to write.
That or the fact that I actually do have a lot to say, but it's just that I
can't seem to get the words out. Either explanation isn't all that great,
and to some extent, I think I am all the worse for it. Anyway, I'm going
to try.
This Christmas, most of
us are busy contemplating how we can celebrate a holiday and at the same time
not add our names to the global list of COVID-19 victims. Not that I live
in fear of such things but living in reality more or less dictates that this is
a kind of commonality that spans all of us who have the capability of rational
thought. That last sentence sounds more philosophical than intended,
here's a more down-to-Earth statement: It simply sucks that people are dying,
others are sick, and some of us can't see family members because of this
horrible pestilence. The very public face of me tries really damn hard to
be the strong, rational, and realistic one. Deep inside though, I just
wish I could see all of my daughters this Christmas.
On a positive note, my
oldest daughter made a more or less surprise trip home from New York City,
which means that I was 2 for 3 in the Christmas family reunion department.
As I write this, the
visitors have gone, and a day that seems like it spanned 48 hours is quickly
coming to an end. While it was a long day, I didn't take the time to take many
pictures this Christmas, although it was nice to see so many others posting
holiday photos on Facebook. I think so many are just trying to get back
to some sense of normalcy while things this Christmas are no more normal than
they were a year ago. At some point this will just be the new normal.
The whole "new
normal" thing can be disconcerting, but I think it's important to remember
that things were always going to change. All that's different is the
timing. This isn't to dismiss or otherwise minimize a global pandemic and
putting aside the human toll of illness and death for a moment, what COVID has
done is to create a kind of accelerated change. This is all the more
reason to create new things...new rituals...that make sense in a world that is
going to be permanently different.
On that note, my
thoughts fall back to the year that has passed. That's another post for
another day though. For now, I think it's time for all of us to get some
rest.
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