Sitting in my Brooklyn office nearly two years after the start of the pandemic here in the US, I am marveling at both the human spirit and lessons of nature. I’m eye level with the treetops, and have taken great comfort in their predictability. They were bare when this all started in March of 2020, then resplendent with buds followed by leaves. Next, of course, an autumnal splash of color, followed by the same pattern, times two.
When lockdown began, fear and uncertainty took hold. Here in NYC, the soundtrack was sirens, mostly, and echoes of Zoom calls. And lots of cooking and cleaning, dishwashing for days. Now, that’s a distant memory.
Lives were lost, businesses closed, there was grieving, a lot of grieving. Many habits forever changed. We’re now conversant in a whole new vocabulary: Delta, Omicron, antigen testing, social distancing. Hopefully we’re a little more versatile, and, for the most part, a lot more grateful. Looking back allows us to take stock. Looking forward tests our flexibility.
Being present seems like the best solution. I’m grateful for the trees, now starting to show their buds, which will soon be decked in leaves, the ultimate teachers.
