ICONIC IMAGE OF MY 2020 PERSON OF THE YEAR

Doctor and Patient, Houston, TX

I recognize that I’m premature in writing a reflective post about the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, but my first impression of the accompanying photograph by GO Nackamura in Houston, Texas is that it’s truly iconic.  This symbolic image of Doctor Joseph Varon and his ICU Covid patient at United Memorial Medical Center captures the unspeakable toll on all humanity during this crisis.  And our frontline medical workers are also succumbing to the virus contracted by the very people they are trying to save.  Thanksgiving Day 2020 was Dr.Varon’s 252nd consecutive work day without a break.  He noted that nurses were crying in the middle of the day because more patients were being admitted than there were nurses to care for them. 

Nurse Carol Williams posted a powerful message on Facebook after an exhausting shift at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, IL.  Her photo and the words in her post were also very compelling including these:

“Below is me after spending 5 hours inside a Covid positive ICU room working to save a patient. In this moment, I felt defeated because I already knew what the outcome would be even though it hadn't happened yet.  The inability to save a patient despite doing everything you can is mentally exhausting. Now imagine doing that on repeat for 8 months and counting.”

Nurse Williams concluded that “We need to come together as a country, NOW.”

Yes, we’re all dealing with Covid fatigue.  Yes, we’re all missing literal face time with family and friends.  Yes, we’re all weary of staying at home.  Yes, we’re all longing for the freedom that Americans normally enjoy.  Yes, we’re all just a little bit spoiled by instant gratification.  And yes, we’re all in this together because our frontline healthcare workers deserve our support and prayers for a while longer.       

 

A WALDEN POND THANKSGIVING 2020

Calm Waters, Jamestown, NC

It’s been said that “one death is a tragedy and 250,000 is a statistic”.  Folks are much more responsive when it gets personal.

This pandemic year of 2020 has ushered in many changes to our lives including the lockdown of many of our activities.  Initially we were told that isolation would possibly last only a few weeks.  The SARS epidemic was relatively short lived.  But it didn’t.  Then as the viral spread expanded, we thought that it would subside during the warmer summer months like the flu virus.  But it didn’t.  Then as time passed and more human beings contracted the virus, we thought that a herd immunity would soon deter the human to human transmission.  But it didn’t.  Surely, we thought, a fast track vaccine process would release us from the threat before the holidays.  But it didn’t.  Now many of us are making the hard, conscious decision not to board airplanes or drive away from home this season to protect ourselves and those we care most about.  Restaurants, schools and churches have been shuttered. 

So here we are on the cusp of the Thanksgiving holiday where we are now asked to stay at home and not embark on our traditional travels to gather together with family and friends.  Many Americans have been compelled to follow opportunities far away from family and friends in this rapidly changing world. 

I’ve always liked the notion that we never lose if we don’t lose the lesson.  We grow and learn in life by challenging our boundaries and venturing out of our comfort and capability zones.  Most all successful people in the world have faced self-reflection in the midst of disappointment and failures leading up to their achievements. 

And I’ve always liked the notion that our creator doesn’t purposely place roadblocks and hardship in our path, but he does stand with us to bring good out of every bad situation when invited.  If hardships were not part of our existence, our ability to succeed would be diminished.  So, what have we learned from this 2020 experience?

Men in past ages self-isolated in monasteries in an effort to seek self-awareness and a closer relationship with a higher power.  Monks separate from general society to do things that make them communal such as prayer, reflection and service.  They do things that make them unique such as exercise, collection, composing and cooking.

We happened years ago onto the simple cabin constructed by Henry David Thoreau near Concord, Massachusetts at Walden Pond.  His intention was to “live simply and have time to contemplate, walk in the woods, write, and commune with nature.  I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.”  He implored us to live mindfully, “being forever on the alert” to the sounds and sights in our own life.

And if we are compliant and alert to this time in isolation, perhaps we will emerge in the springtime immune to this virus, even more appreciative of those folks that are close to us and redeemed from the chaos of modern life that surrounds us.

 

FORKS IN OUR PATH AND AUTUMN LEAVES

REFLECTIVE VIEW, Jamestown, NC 

The more I think about it, the more I think we don’t give enough thought to the gift of free will we all possess. Of course, free will flourishes best in an environment of freedom which we Americans take all too lightly. I suppose it’s like many things in life—we don’t always appreciate something until we lose it. It’s an old comparison, but free will is indeed analogous to approaching a fork in our path and then making a decision to go one way or the other. We encounter these forks hundreds of times in the course of a lifetime. Sometimes that involves choosing good versus not so good and sometimes it literally involves choosing left versus right. We learned about the unwritten “law of lines” while at Disney World years ago. Since most people are right-handed, they tend to go right when the doors open at the attractions, so it’s always a good idea to move to the left to get a good seat. And as with most all decisions, there are consequences to how we choose. Sometimes those are trivial and sometimes they are very consequential. Sometimes those consequences are immediate and other times they may take years to unfold. 

It’s a good day to write and I’m working at my computer next to the upstairs window of my office. Today is overcast with an early November rain falling outside but the view is spectacular! They say the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago and the next best time is today, i.e., it’s never too late to make something happen—just do it! I planted the October Glory maple tree outside my window about twenty years ago with the thought in mind that someday it would really be quite a scene. Well, it certainly is today!   The inspirational photo on my desk of our American bald eagle is titled Dare to Soar.  “Your attitude, almost always determines your altitude in life.”

I also recall making a simple left versus right decision that seemed trivial at the time but had immediate consequences and proved to be life-saving.  My two hunting companions and I primarily used two basic techniques to hunt migratory ducks and geese along the central flyway in Kansas. We would either set out a decoy spread in a new wheat field or cut grain field and call the game birds to us or we would go to them by jumping ponds in pastures. On one particular overcast and drizzly November day like today we had spotted a flight of mallards circling a large pond and then going down. So, we drove our truck to an area opposite the back of the dam and proceeded to stealth under their radar to position ourselves in shooting range. 

One of my hunting companions moved to the left of the dam so that he could peer over the top and locate the floating ducks. I was following my other friend through the tall prairie grasses to the center of the dam. When our spotter motioned that the ducks were in range directly in front of us, I moved into shooting position to the right of my left-handed partner. The signal was given to move up, the ducks responded by giving flight and the rapid sound of automatic shotguns shattered the morning silence. In moments, my magazine was empty and I turned to my hunting partner amid the pungent smell of spent gun powder and incredulously asked why he wasn’t shooting. He just looked at me with an astonished expression and showed me his shotgun. He had been using shells that he had loaded himself and later admitted that he had added a little bit of extra powder for some extra punch. The left side of his receiver had been completely blown out! If I had been standing to his left when the shooting started, my head would have quite possibly been next to the blow out. 

Was it pure chance or divine guidance that prompted me to the right rather than to the left? I may never know, but there have been other such occasions that saved my life and the autumn leaves outside my window on this chilly morning take on a whole new perspective as I reflect.

BECOMING REAL

Rabbit and Horse, Childhood Nursery

A letter written by the author Kurt Vonnegut recently tickled my memory about a cherished childhood book, The Velveteen Rabbit.  The stuffed rabbit sewn from velveteen fabric was received by a little boy on Christmas.  But the boy shuns the rabbit for more modern toys and even real rabbits ignore him.  He laments to the oldest and wisest nursery toy, a horse that was his uncle’s favorite toy.  The horse tells the rabbit that some toys like himself magically become real when children genuinely love them.  Finally, one night the boy is given the rabbit to sleep with and it becomes the boy’s constant companion.  His velveteen finish becomes worn with hugs and playtime but that is no matter to the rabbit. 

The boy sadly contracts an infectious disease and the rabbit never leaves his side.  But soon the boy is sent away to recover and all the nursery contents including the shabby rabbit are gathered to be burned.  Reflecting on his close life and adventures with the boy the rabbit sheds a real tear which prompts a nursery fairy to appear.  She announces that since the rabbit has become real to the boy who truly loves him, she will assist him into becoming real to everyone.

 Vonnegut was responding to a high school English class asking for advice from famous authors.  And I loved his response in part:

 “Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”

I’ve tried to look at life as an endless series of adventures to be experienced while we still have the good fortune to give it a whirl.  Not every adventure has a fairy tale ending, but no adventure is lost if we don’t lose the lesson and we profit from it.  And I’ve encountered a legion of memorable people along the yellow brick road that have shared a love of life, helped me grow and, like the velveteen rabbit, contributed to my own experience of becoming.  

"People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life.  I don't think that's what we're really seeking.  I think what we're seeking is an experience of being alive."

-- Joseph Campbell