The World, on Pause

As we enter Week 2 of the Battle Against Covid-19, I wonder, when will it end? Two weeks? Two months? Will it flare up again in the fall? I try to quiet my mind with projects, but as I stay “sheltered in place,” there is only so much meditation, reading, writing, TV watching, dusting, organizing, and sleeping I can do. My mind continually reaches back to funny or special moments, even those that happened years ago, clinging to anything that will put a smile on my face. Here’s one that popped into my head while reading on my couch the other day (in the eight years in my apartment, I’ve never spent so much time on my couch).

It was 1987, and we had a blizzard on Cape Cod. We we were out of school for a week, wore the same clothes for days in a row (well, I did), and we lost power. At first it was fun. We built snowmen; we went sledding; we read books; we played board games; we adjusted. One night, my parents, two younger sisters and I sat huddled together under blankets in the living room, the fireplace roaring as my father read out loud from the book “James and the Giant Peach” with the help of a flashlight. It was a special moment, out of the ordinary for the times. After a few chapters, the only other sound the crackling of logs, the power suddenly came back on. Without missing a beat, my sisters and I leapt up, tossed our blankets, and ran screaming with delight straight into the den to watch television. I can only assume my parents sat there thinking, “Tomorrow we get rid of the TV.”

As this global pandemic causes us to take one great pause, I hope we learn from this and readjust our priorities. When the crisis is over, will we remember to cherish the special moments, or will we jump up and race right back to how it was?

Stay safe. X, Felice