A time to reflect and look forward

What a year it’s been! Certainly COVID-19 impacted our livelihoods in our neck of the woods. Like so much of the nation and world, there are those who were directly impacted by the virus. The stories range from the mild to the most heartbreaking ones that anyone could ever hear. 

For that, they are always in our thoughts and prayers.

One moment we were living the lives we knew and then suddenly, a surreal situation took hold. Who ever would have guessed that we would be in this situation. 

From the acceptance of a lockdown to hope upon hope that the world emerges from COVID by Easter to the mantra of “wear masks/socially distance” to a vaccine that is just around the corner, it has been a long haul. Speaking of long haul, CBS-TV recently aired a “60 Minutes” segment about COVID long haulers. I highly recommend viewing that feature on their site. The biggest takeaway from the segment is how young people are dealing with health issues long after battling COVID. 

In the moment, autumn finally arrived in the Atlanta metro area. Like most years, it seems like it took forever for the heat and humidity to break. Now those chilly mornings filled with the animals and rodents looking for warmth (hopefully not in our attics and basements) are part of the routine. Indeed for those of us in the Southeastern U.S., it’s a small part of the year that many of us cherish. 

There’s something about November through February that makes living in this region extra special. From the falling of the leaves to the holiday lights, it all just puts life in perspective. My suggestion is to cherish every moment. Whether one is connecting through virtual online meetings or making that bold decision to be in person, enjoy the times. They do slip away quite fast these days as the world outside spins at an ever more rapid pace. 

As the hourglass on 2020 rapidly pours down, this is the time to reflect on accomplishments and more importantly, the future. A new era will be upon us with 2021 with hopefully what we will call, “The Post COVID Age.” I honestly do not like writing that since I think just putting that phrase down will be a jinx. Superstition or not, there will be a time when COVID will be in the history books. There is no doubt that there will be a lot of Monday Morning Quarterbacking on the issue, but will there be learning and growing from this time? 

Once we clear COVID, will we just go back to the way we were? It’s easy to wind up in that place, having learned nothing. This is a moment to listen, learn and hope that history will not repeat itself and perhaps, in even uglier ways.

So many of us say, skip this year and celebrate next year. I can agree with that sentiment, but there’s no time like the present. Let’s hope that in one year as of this writing, the numbers will fall to the point where we will be a bit more free of the COVID threat.

For now, it’s wise to take it easy, maybe unplug and as a song line goes, “enjoy the silence.”