It’s hard to believe that more than two months have elapsed since our country went into lockdown over fears of Covid-19 and its potential for widespread contagion, sickness and death.
Those fears have proven to be well-founded, as the death toll in America stands at 80,000 and rising. Though the curve has flattened in most of the metropolitan areas where it first mushroomed, we’re now seeing the virus spread to other, less densely populated areas.
This has been and continues to be a scary time for us. No one wants to get sick, certainly not to the degree of those unfortunate individuals whose stories have appeared in the media.
At the same time, we can’t put our lives on hold indefinitely. The tension between wanting to resume life and wanting to remain healthy is playing out in many states this week. It remains to be seen if there will be renewed outbreaks in those states or whether adequate safeguards are in place that will help to protect the people who follow those protocols.
What will this next phase look like? No one knows for sure, but one thing is certain: we won’t be going back to the way things were. There’s going to be a new reality for all of us. Notice that I do not use the term “new normal,” because there’s nothing normal about how we will be adapting to maintain our health. There will, however, be a “new reality” that will govern our lives.
They say that “change is good.” Well, I don’t for sure who says that, but it’s a phrase we’ve heard many, many times! As an optimist, I have to believe that there will be good things that emerge from this pandemic. I’m not a prophet so I can’t predict what the future will bring. But I can subscribe to the sentiment of Israeli composer David Broza who wrote a song years ago entitled “Yihiyeh Tov.” The translation is “things will be good.” He wrote the song in a different era for a different reason, but the message is as relevant for us today: Be positive and good things will happen.
No, there are no guarantees, but I’ll take hope over hopelessness any day.
Stay safe, stay healthy and stay positive!