Sunny Day Thoughts

I was just about to tell myself that it’s 4:15 on a Friday afternoon so I should just skip the whole writing thing for the afternoon and go out and enjoy the sunny spring weather. Then I realized I already said that to myself on Monday and at some point, I should actually put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard), if only to keep in the habit. There’s a lot of changes afoot these days, and I have to say, I am both excited and exhausted by them. But I’ve been reading bad news story after bad news story and maybe it’s the sunny day talking, but I’m feeling optimistic.

I read a twitter thread today by a science reporter where she wrote about how she had been pessimistically wrong over and over again these last few months. She kept thinking (and reporting) that things were going to be terrible, the vaccine wouldn’t work, etc. etc. And she ended it with a statement about how terrible everything is going to be and how this fourth wave is going to be worse than anything else. It was shockingly ironic and infuriating at the same time and I’ve been thinking over and over again how hard it is for us to just accept the nuances of good news.

I’m not an epidemiologist, but every day, I’m hearing one thing after another that tells me to hope. The vaccine rollout is faster than expected! Every adult in my state will be eligible for the vaccine in just 2 weeks! Countries that have hit higher vaccine targets are seeing cases plummet! The vaccine is 100% effective in 12-16 year olds!

And yes, with the new, more contagious variants, cases are going up. We still have to wear masks and be responsible. But this “sky is falling” crap drives me nuts. At this point last year, we didn’t know if a vaccine was possible, let alone effective. We didn’t know about masking, we didn’t know it was airborne, we didn’t have any idea how to keep ourselves really safe. And now we do. There is an end to this and it will be rocky, but it is coming.

I think we have all been so disappointed for so long that it is hard to accept that things can change. We’ve spent this year doing extraordinary things just trying to care for each other and stay connected. And time and again, we have had to put our desires aside. Every day seems to bring more chaos, more pain, more bad news. Even with the sun shining, don’t relax, there’s another tragedy around the corner.

There’s such a safety in that pessimism. It’s absolutely true, and somehow completely wrong. Pain and grief are coming, sooner or later, to our lives. They might even be here now. But tragedy isn’t the only thing waiting around the corner. And if we stand here letting all the good things go by unnoticed because our eyes are fixed on that unknown impending doom, we’ve missed all of the joy and kindness that will equip us to survive.

Good and bad can and will coexist in every single moment we live. We need to take the good we find and embrace it. Don’t hold tight to the fear, but don’t use rose-colored glasses either. With clear eyes, choose hope.

Better days are coming, and faster than I thought they would. Be smart, keep masking, get your shot, care for each other. But don’t despair. Whatever comes, we’ll figure it out, together.