HUGS

Mother & Child Hugs

Bear Hugs

I’ve enjoyed listening to NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday for many moons.  Now we can listen to recorded podcasts of segments when it isn’t possible or when we want to revisit something that caught our attention!  There were two such segments that aired this morning regarding the real consequences of the prolonged Covid pandemic which I just listened to one more time.

An interview with a Colorado university professor revealed the dire consequences of seniors that initially were locked down in total isolation.  The CDC noted that people over 75 represent 16% of the population but 75% of Covid deaths.  Family and friends, Senior Centers and faith communities had been a key source of social interaction for these people.  The professor had lost many acquaintances including her isolated grandmother at the end of 2021.  She sadly reported that no one could visit her and there was no discernable medical reason for her passing, except extreme loneliness.

Another woman in Virginia had recorded a “My Unsung Hero” message for the Hidden Brain podcast.  She had managed to coax herself to the local grocery store and was in the process of checking out when the cashier mindlessly asked how she was doing?  She replied, “You know what, I’m not doing great.  My mother just passed away.”  As the cashier expressed her sympathy, the woman turned to the young man who had just finished bagging her few items.  He had obviously overheard the short conversation and looked her directly in the eyes and asked “Can I give you a hug?”  She said “yes” and remarked that it was “a beautiful expression of comfort and caring kindness”.  She saw a “warm and empathetic person” and concluded “Thank you so, so very much for making a difference in my life that day and for that one simple and powerful gesture.”      

There is a great deal of scientific evidence for this wonderful tranquilizer that is offered free of charge and lasts for no more than about 3 seconds.  It can be experienced with another human being or even a cherished pet.  Our pituitary gland releases oxytocin promoting contentment, the thymus gland releases additional white blood cells to keep us healthy and strengthen our immune system, dopamine is released by the brain to counter depression, serotonin and endorphins are released into the blood stream to negate pain and sadness to prolong life, and galvanic skin responses suggest a more balanced state in the nervous system.

This grieving woman whose spirits were uplifted by a young stranger concluded that “It was just a hug.”  But it was much more than that--it was all she needed to carry on at that moment as we all carry on from this pandemic, so that we can enjoy hugs once more sans masks! 

And the best necklace a mother can have is her child’s arms!

THE SOLITUDE OF SILENCE

Price Lake, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

“Listen to silence.  It has so much to say.” –Rumi

I was listening to the PBS program On Being with Krista Tippett this morning and she was having a discussion with a man who has apparently dedicated his life to recording the quiet sounds of nature away from the noise of modern life.  I’ve also observed that there can be moments of “silence” on a moonlit winter’s night when the winds are so silent that one can actually experience the gentle sound of a snowfall.  I’ve stood at the water’s edge of a mirrored lake just off the Blue Ridge Parkway at sunrise and experienced the silence of being still and knowing God.  The glorious silence was only interrupted by a bird’s song echoing across the water as it was stirred awake by the sun’s warmth.  I’ve recorded short video clips from my own backyard deck of bird songs at daybreak that are very conducive to calming the chatter of the ego mind.

The man noted that he has recorded the songs of many birds out in nature and concluded that the sweet spot of human hearing coincides with the range of their singing.  He believes that our hearing evolved over the millennia to be acutely aware of bird songs because foraging humans found those areas to be compatible with survival.  He also noted that the winds, especially those singing in the pines, have a higher range with shorter needles and a lower range if they are longer.  It makes intuitive sense that our environment and subtleties such as this can have a positive subliminal influence on our wellbeing.

Mindfulness teachers suggest that even if we cannot actually be out in nature away from the busyness of life, we can discern and go to a favorite “quiet place” in our mind.  I have at least two specific places in Colorado.  The first is at the base of a mountain lake in Maroon Bells National Park outside Aspen.  The other is sitting on a boulder among the pine trees as the Bernoulli-effect breezes slice through the pine needles in the canyons of Mesa Verde National Park.

Ralph Waldo Emerson encourages us to “be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.”  Mozart understood that “the music is not in the notes, but the silence between.”  And the naturalist Henry David Thoreau observed that “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.  We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers.”  

While extroverts often dislike being alone and introverts tend to prefer it, people do need a support network and social connections, while taking time for yourself outside in nature can be very healthful.  That’s something to ponder in this unprecedented period of pandemic masking, lockdowns, quarantines, Zooming and Facetime! 

 

UBIQUITOUS FACE MASKS

Face Masks, Gutter & Sidewalk

Going back into society after this prolonged pandemic can be a rather daunting thought.  We’ve actually stayed out of trouble in many instances during this time because of the face masks that have been covering our expressions, e.g., there have been less instances of road rage.  Sure, many people have been staying home for months, but those that have ventured out and experienced traffic problems while expressing their indignance have not been seen doing it behind the masks. 

I wrote early on in this pandemic that these disposable “face diapers” would certainly be found blowing in the wind on our streets and sidewalks.  That has now come to fruition as the production of these masks has skyrocketed during the pandemic and the recommendation for disposables is for single-use.  The good news is that they still don’t outnumber cigarette butts and plastic bottles in the environment, but they are still easily observed if you look for them scattered about.

Cloth masks can be disposed of with other clothing after cleaning, but it might be better to keep them for collectables and costume parties in future years.   They might even be a hit as soon as this Halloween!

 

AFTER THE PANDEMIC 2021

Empty Chairs, Empty Tables, WB, NC

MEMORIAL DAY 2021

Phantom faces in the sea mist,

Phantom shadows on the sand,

Empty chairs at empty tables,

Where my friends no longer stand.

There’s a grief that can’t be spoken,

There’s a pain goes on and on,

Empty chairs at empty tables,

Their songs and laughter are now gone.

O my friends, my friends I thank you,

For the good times we shared together,

Empty chairs at empty tables,

We'll meet again in a beautiful forever.

The plague is now being defeated,

And the people have paid a great cost,

Empty chairs at empty tables,

We pause to remember those that were lost.

 

THE JAMESTOWN CHERRY TREE

JUMC Cherry Tree, Jamestown, NC

Once upon a time in the land of Jamestown many years ago, a congregation had the vision to plant young cherry trees on either side of the entrance to their Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary.  So, they acquired the necessary funds and planted the trees under whose blossoms many of them would never pass.  And over the years the trees flourished and blossomed and began to reach to the heavens in praise of the creator of all who entered their honor guard. 

And as the years passed and the trees reached maturity, they began to arch over the pathway to worship.  Then as late March began to warm the air in the Carolinas, beautiful cherry blossoms opened over the people.  If the timing was perfect and spring showers with gentle wind gusts arrived on a given Sunday morning, the cherry petals would cascade down on the people in high praise of celebrating Palm Sunday and the following Easter Sunday. 

The trees celebrated wedding parties introducing young couples, baby baptisms introducing new life and graduations introducing young adults to the people.  The trees were there to celebrate all of the special days of the people including the funerals of the saints that had planted them and worshiped with them.  The cherry petals mingled with the rice and the confetti that were tossed into the rarified air surrounding the church on the hill.

Then as it befalls all sentient organisms on earth, one of the trees fell prey to age and disease.  First some affected limbs had to be trimmed in an effort to save the tree.  But time was taking its toll and there was a concern that if the tree was not isolated and removed, the other trees could soon be infected.  The cherry tree had witnessed how the circle of life progresses and understood its destiny but it was sad to leave.  Then our creator shared a vision of what was possible in 2021 for the space it occupied after a worldwide pandemic infected many of the people and covered the earth in the year 2020.  He understood that he could still make a difference, even after he was gone and it was good.

After the tree was removed from the grounds prior to the pandemic, the people agreed to gather safely outside the sanctuary of the church building where the cherry tree had stood for so many glorious years.  As the surviving cherry trees rejoiced in the new services honoring their creator, the people gathered once again out of isolation and spread out under their shade on the new spring grass and worshiped unobstructed on sacred ground. 

And the fragrant spirit of the cherry tree moved with almighty God in the breezes among the people in this place and it was good.

MISSIVES FROM THE ENDLESS LOCKDOWN

Lockdown Humor, Larson

THE LITTLE YIPPY DOG

Recorded “COVID-19 boredom” fictional accounts based on Gary Larson's Far Side cartoons...none of this really happened to me...it's all about the little yippy dog.

MISSIVES FROM THE ENDLESS LOCKDOWN 

Day 333. I was absentmindedly riding my stationary bike in the man cave this morning when an unknown little spotted dog came out of nowhere yipping and nipping me on the ankle and then he vanished as quickly as he appeared...

MISSIVES FROM THE ENDLESS LOCKDOWN 

Day 334.  The strange little yippy dog appeared once again while I was in my home office, stood frozen in place and stared at the closet door.  I wasn’t too alarmed at first, but suddenly a folded paper began to emerge from under the door...

MISSIVES FROM THE ENDLESS LOCKDOWN 

Day 335.  I heard the garage door opening as I sat in the family room deciding where to go on my Saturday morning drive to nowhere in particular.  Then I heard the familiar sound of my vehicle starting and rushed to the front door. It was the little yippy dog rapidly driving off with a buddy happily sniffing the cold winter air!  My plan for a temporary escape from the lockdown was dashed as I read the note they left behind to “Stay home!”

MISSIVES FROM THE ENDLESS LOCKDOWN 

Day 336.  Well, the hyper little yippy dog showed up today to return my vehicle for what should thankfully be the last time.  He hopped into the back seat of my vehicle just as I was backing out of the driveway for a much needed carintining escape from the house.  I told him if he would settle down he could ride with me to the drugstore for my “liberating” Moderna booster shot and drop off some Get Well cards at the post office.  Then I would take him to the vets to be tutored.  He may have misunderstood that last stop...

A 2020 CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

Jupiter & Saturn, Jamestown, NC

A Departing Flight from PTI, Jamestown, NC

EMMANUEL!

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.

On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.

--Isaiah 9:2

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is quite visible in the SW sky tonight!  Mankind has looked up to the heavens forever to seek out the timing of meaningful signs.  

It’s interesting to note that two vaccines that can stop a worldwide pandemic just came together at this Christmastime to prevent its spread.  Perhaps this is a celestial reminder that the answer to all the hate in this world arrived under a similar sign over 2,000 years ago if the world would just pay attention.

Today is also the eve of the 2020 winter solstice.  Tomorrow marks the shortest day of the year in this northern hemisphere where the sun (sol) appears to stand still (sistere) before reversing direction.  Days will now begin to lengthen and we will experience an additional half hour of sunlight in just one month.  This marks the “rebirth” of the sun in addition to the imminent celebration of the Christ child’s birth and the Light of the world. 

It’s a time of regeneration, renewal and self-reflection which we are more than prepared for by this time!

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.

 

HEAVENLY SIGNS

TOTAL ECLIPSE, NASA

COMET, HUBBLE

COMET NEOWISE, ISS

The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic infected an estimated 500 million people and resulted in 50 million deaths.  Since that occurred just over 100 years ago, there aren’t many people around today that have any memory of that horrific time in human history.  None of us today that are experiencing the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown have ever experienced this massive effort to slow its progress from host to host in our cultures.  Now that we’re entering the second half of the year 2020, this isolation of relational beings is beginning to take its toll along with the virus.  Combined with an extremely contentious major election year, the old adage that if it happens now, it’s political!

The very destructive riots in many of our major cities that have hijacked peaceful American protests for cultural change are no doubt being fueled by unemployed people with too much time on their hands.  The Atlantic hurricane season is now fully underway with the first landfall in southern Texas.  High heat and humidity in the heart of the summer season grips much of the nation.  All of this troubling activity combined with the serious implications of not opening our schools and businesses has people looking for answers. 

 It's been said that when humans do not understand something, they generally react in one of two ways—they either fear it or worship it.  That certainly goes for heavenly signs in the skies above us.  Two very obvious happenings in both day and night time relate to total eclipses of the sun and the seeming random appearance of bright tailed comets streaking across the horizon.  The planet has witnessed total eclipses every 177 days somewhere including December 26, 2019 and June 21, 2020.  Comet Neowise was first seen by astronomers on March 27, 2020 and its 70-day observation arc will be lost to the human eye before the end of July.  It isn’t forecast to return until the year 8786. 

 Although we now know that an eclipse is a natural phenomenon, many cultures have attributed them to supernatural causes and bad omens.  An ancient Greek battle between the Medes and the Lydians was being waged when a total solar eclipse darkened the battlefield.  Both sides immediately lowered their weapons and declared peace!  The ancients also regarded comets as omens of disaster and messengers of the gods.  These celestial nomads have been blamed for some of history’s darkest times from England’s Black Death to Pizarro’s conquest of the Incas in South America!

So, are all of these signs attempting to attract our attention?  Have we all been sent to our rooms by divine command to reconsider the direction of our lives and that of our planet?  Are these extraordinary happenings one last chance to reconcile our place in the universe and resolve to live together in peace?  

INVASIVE INCIVILITY

Graffiti and Kudzu, Jamestown, NC

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2020

I was returning home from my traditional Saturday morning drive to nowhere in particular with my coffee container on empty.  I use these weekly morning drives to clear my head, seek inspiration and sort out recent events.  And this year the drive is even more appreciated in this unprecedented time of an extended pandemic lockdown amid protests and too many destructive riots.  Rioting that has included the destruction of historical statues and many small businesses across our major cities.  I’ve watched this unrest unfold with disdain, sadness and a growing concern for the lawlessness and incivility that it birthed in my country, America.  I watched in disbelief as mayors and governors obviously had our law enforcement stand down and let criminals destroy fellow citizens’ lives.

Yes, there has always been a certain irony and concern about our founding fathers who declared independence from a taxing foreign power 244 years ago, while many were slave owners themselves.  Slavery has been with humanity for all time and still exists in many facets as a serious social issue.  Some later freed those slaves and hundreds of thousands died in a civil war to grant all people freedom.  However, simply reversing a social wrong may be a good start but it generally doesn’t alleviate the problem.  Martin Luther King, Jr. studied history and Gandhi’s struggles in India from foreign rulers and understood that violence only tends to stir up the hornets’ nest.  America is humanity’s great hope for peaceful civil protests and freedom from oppression.

As I approached home this morning, I passed a scene that is all too common in America’s southeast.  An invasive stand of smothering Kudzu vines had already covered a wide section of newly accessed trees near the bypass.  It is native to China and was innocently introduced in America to control erosion and serve as an ornamental shade plant.  However, it also absorbs all the sunlight for the plants under the canopy, suffocating them.  It now occupies an estimated 3,000,000 hectares and is destroying the environment at a rate of 50,000 baseball fields per year! Kudzu transposes living organisms into lifeless topiary support structures.  I was then forced to stop for a passing freight train whose cars were covered in graffiti.  I witnessed similar spray-painted graffiti being used to desecrate our national property and fellow citizens’ communities.  Both the Kudzu and lawless violence are a smothering scourge on our country.  And both are indications of more underlying problems for the future.

As an American citizen, I fully support needed social change and righting wrongs.  That’s the promise and job description of America.  But freedom is not the right to do as we please.  It’s the opportunity to do what is right!  I believe in the premise that love, not hate, is the most powerful force for personal change and for changing the world.  As an individual, I intend to do whatever I can to build a better world.  And I plan to exercise my lawful right to vote! 

BREATHING SPIRIT INTO A COUNTRY

Falcon 9 Launch, NASA Kennedy, FL.

PENTECOST SUNDAY 2020

This Pentecost Sunday in the year 2020 finds the world in the midst of a deadly pandemic and this country in the throes of a nationwide protest over the televised death of a handcuffed man who suffocated under the knee of a law officer.  People are reacting in the spirit of humanity at its best and worst and many are voicing their reactions.  The month began with people protesting that they couldn’t go to the gym or get a haircut and is ending with a maned rocket launched into outer space and street rioting because they can’t stop some bad actors from killing them.  Sadly, the protests turned to riots because bad actors had also inserted themselves there as well.  Our senior pastor’s message today included the observation that unlike animals, we human beings are the only creatures that have the super power of restraint, the ability not to do something that we’re capable of doing. 

I found two tweets today that succinctly organized my frame of mind on this Pentecost Sunday:

“Jesus breathed upon his disciplines, and in that breath, he gave them the Spirit of courage and mission to bring healing to a broken world. [John 20:22] Pentecost is one way to reflect that the power of God is greater than the power that took away the breath of George Floyd.” –Francis X. Pray

“I know your pain, your rage, your sense of despair and hopelessness. Justice has, indeed, been denied for far too long. Rioting, looting, and burning is not the way. Organize. Demonstrate. Sit-in. Stand-up. Vote. Be constructive, not destructive.”  --John Lewis

Immediately after God put his spirit on every human being at Pentecost, the apostle Peter addressed a crowd in Acts 2 by quoting the prophet Joel:

“God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

I will show wonders in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.”

NASA astronaut Doug Hurley shouted just before ignition of the Falcon 9 rocket yesterday, “Let’s light this candle”.  A bystander was quoted as saying “We’ve been bombarded with gloom and doom for the last six, eight weeks and this is awesome.  It brings a lot of people together.” 

Little did these men realize that more than a candle would be lit up last night in major cities all across the country and the senseless murder of one man would bring a whole lot of people together for a release, the unrestrained ability to unite and turn a wrong into a right.  

And all the while, a deadly virus still silently moves among us.

REDISCOVERING LIFE

Spring Rain into the Gutter, Jamestown, NC

There are people who really didn’t have much of a childhood due to a variety of factors and there are those of us seniors that simply have a hard time remembering back that far.  But like all things in life there can be second chances, especially if you are fortunate to rediscover life through the lens of a child.  And one of the many positive experiences that can come out of this social isolation for those who take the time to reflect is spending more time with the inquisitive children that make up the fabric of our lives.

Jesus was often criticized for spending too much time with human beings such as children and sinners instead of important leaders of the time.  But he famously rebuked his disciples when he told them to ” let the little children come to me” for they haven’t yet acquired all the filters and baggage of seeing the world through the biased eyes of us adults.

Yesterday my grandson was outside walking the rain-soaked streets of Chicago with his parents.  He was quick to discover two common earth worms that had come topside because of the saturated ground.  It was a sight that most of us adults would have easily passed over with indifference.  Then on today’s walk he discovered that one had been trampled and the other was missing.  He understood that the first worm had lost its life on the busy path but the other must surely have escaped into the rushing waters of the gutter and down into the drains.  

When I was a child growing up in central Kansas before the loss of innocence, I remember that we children loved to stay close to the curbing after a Spring rain.  Once the flow slowed, it became great sport to build small mud dams and capture the runoff as it meandered down to the gutters.  Of course, we were barefoot and carefree in those days and I don’t recall finding any earth worms.  But if we did, I’m pretty confident in those innocent times that we would have let them pass onto freedom.  The Carolina rains today prompted me to recall those idyllic days and venture outside in the rain to capture a meaningful photograph of those childhood memories.

Life can be fragile, especially in dire times of a worldwide pandemic, but it can also be introspective for those who are paying attention.  And it can teach those of us who are willing to learn the lesson.

PANDEMIC WINDSHIELD

Invisible Shield, I-73, NC

I was driving north on I-73 today on my way out of quarantine into the wide open spaces of nature.  The serene drive was interrupted by the all too familiar splat of a bug hitting the windshield right in my line of sight. My knee jerk reaction was that I would now have to spend the remaining road trip inconvenienced by this minor blip on the EKG of my life.  

Then it occurred to me that the incident was everything for the bug.  There’s a parallel to this little scenario out here in a world coping with a serious pandemic...we’re all on this perilous ride together, but some are protected on the inside while others are vulnerable on the outside of the invisible shield and we need to remain compliant,supportive and empathetic.

DISTANT SOCIALIZING IN NATURE

NATIVE ARROWHEAD, Kansas Flint Hills

Ironically as I write this post, I’m joined by most of the world this April 2020 as we shelter in place and social distance from one another in hopes of slowing the COVID-19 viral pandemic.  The virus primarily spreads as humans come in close contact with one another by coughing, sneezing, hugging and shaking hands.  But there is no danger in venturing outside by ourselves and experiencing the spirit of our creator on the winds.

As a youth, I loved to roam outside in the Kansas Flint Hills amid the wind blowing unchallenged through the tall grass prairies and along the rim rock edges of the grassy hills where grazing Herford cattle had replaced wild buffalo.  That experience nurtured a new found love of the land that has stayed with me all my life.  Many of these adventures included having a shotgun over my shoulder in anticipation of the exploding rush of pheasants, prairie chickens, ducks, and coveys of quail.  I spied a flint arrowhead on the ground on one outing that had possibly been launched by a lone kindred spirit onto the south wind, flying on a feathered wooden shaft in pursuit of the same small wild game that I was hunting.  I always admired the native Indians’ respect and stewardship for the land and their ritual of offering up a prayer for the spirit that had given its life to sustain theirs.  Their existence was entirely outside in nature, enabling them to relate to the oneness of the universe and possess an acute appreciation for the gift of life. 

These native people living in a rather pristine land had no concern for pandemics.  The diseases that later decimated their tribes were carried and transmitted by intruders from across the oceans.  Those people had lived in crowded areas during a period with no means to stop a pandemic from spreading.  Fortunately, we have now evolved into a time of scientific knowledge with the ability to develop vaccines and therapeutics and even social apps like FaceTime and Zoom.   And one of the best ways of coping with this quarantine is to venture out into nature and distant socialize with our creator.

BLACK FRIDAY 2020

Empty Tomb, Israel

This world-wide 2020 pandemic has created empty hearts, empty rooms, empty offices, empty malls, empty theaters and even empty sanctuaries all across the land, enabling a contemplative time this Easter Sunday to focus on the personified hope of an empty tomb.

WAKEUP CALL

COVID-19, NIAID

Early in my business career, it was commonplace to ask the front desk for a wakeup call upon checking into a hotel.  That was always very effective when the telephone loudly rang early in the morning instead of the usual clock radio calling us to action.  Today of course, we carry an alarm with us and don’t have to rely on the occasionally absent front desk clerk for a wakeup call.  But this new virus that is now circling around the world is sounding another wakeup call.  And although there are many things in life beyond our individual control, we do have control over our response.

Sadly, we humanoids rarely stop the treadmill and pause to be mindful, let alone thankful, of all the blessings we take for granted in this present day.  We’ve created vaccines for many of the old sicknesses that harassed the world prior to our births such as polio, measles, smallpox, mumps, leprosy, etc.  But when a virus morphs into a completely new and very dangerous strain, COVID-19, we’re left completely vulnerable until science can hopefully create another vaccine to checkmate it. 

Until that time, our government has taken the unprecedented action to begin asking or ordering citizens to self-isolate and observe social distancing to impede spreading the highly contagious virus.  This has resulted in all sorts of unexpected consequences such as masses of people hoarding toilet paper, breathing masks and hand sanitizer, spring break students still partying en masse on our beaches, social media posting all manner of dark gallows humor, parents and spouses immediately spending much more quality time together, children being home schooled and giving parents a greater appreciation for teachers, people suddenly having time on their hands to stop and reflect on their life’s trajectory and billions of human beings suddenly forced to confront their own self-centeredness and the common legacy we all share.  

When King Solomon had finished building the great temple for God in Jerusalem, he appeared to Solomon at night and accepted it.  But he had this caveat that when the people began to turn their backs on him and he withdrew his protection, the people would need to seek him, ask for forgiveness and change their behavior for him to heal the land.  He counsels us to be still and know that I am God.  The current plague of coronavirus gets its name from the spikes on its surface which look like a corona, Latin for crown that a king can be seen wearing.  This is a time of sober reflection for the entire world to rally around an unprecedented common cause affecting everyone on the planet.  It’s an opportunity for the entire human race to join together in defeating a common enemy that has the potential to either decimate us in a contagious pandemic or unite us in a contagious perfect love.

So beautiful from Pope Francis

Tonight before falling asleep
think about when we will return to the street.
When we hug again,
when all the shopping together will seem like a party.

Let's think about when the coffees will return to the bar, the small talk, the photos close to each other.
We think about when it will be all a memory but normality will seem an unexpected and beautiful gift.
We will love everything that has so far seemed futile to us.

Every second will be precious.
Swims at the sea, the sun until late, sunsets, toasts, laughter.
We will go back to laughing together.

Strength and courage.

REGAINING CONTROL

Toilet Roll Frenzy, COSTCO

As I was navigating a local grocery store aisle this afternoon during what I thought was a slow period, I noticed more people than usual were shopping and they were stocking up on basics including a disproportionate amount of toilet paper.  I mentioned to the young cashier that I could understand folks buying basic food items and sanitizers in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but not the excessive amount of toilet paper, given that the need wasn't related to the flu symptoms.  She just shook her head and said she didn’t get it either but that it had been this way since the beginning of the week.

Driving home I thought about the rapid events that have unraveled over the past few weeks as this country watched the inevitable Trojan Airplanes and Cruise Ships disembarking infected passengers from around the world, knowing that there could be no escaping such a virus at the height of our flu season.  We are now embedded in a world economy and no longer isolated.  And when people are confronted with outside circumstances they can’t control, they turn to the one thing that remains—their response.  Psychological studies have shown over the years that reactions like the toilet paper frenzy is a subconscious behavioral attempt to gain a sense of control over this pandemic uncertainty.  It’s a sort of survivalist psychology.

And once the frenzy begins and gains momentum, everyone else is driven by the fear of a shortage which manifests into a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Soon social media kicks in to fan the flames of hoarding from images of long shopping cart lines and empty shelves surrounded by crazed shoppers wrestling bags of toilet paper from each other!  Then there is the hapless woman in Australia that attempted to hurriedly order a bag of 48 rolls and incorrectly hit the “Buy Now” icon for 48 bags instead, translating to a sixteen-year supply for her family and a bill for $3,264.  The good news is that due to the frenzy, she was able to sell the excess at a nifty profit to help finance her daughter’s education.

Just within the past week two phrases in the news have bubbled to the top of our lexicon—social distancing and self-quarantine.  But social distancing hasn’t gone too well in the big box toilet paper aisles and the threat of self-quarantines and locked down communities has fueled the flames of hoarding shoppers.  All of this frenzy in spite of the fact that the supply chain was working fine.  Gallows humor, grim or satirical humor in a desperate or worrying situation, has also surfaced such as the emergence of a quarantini drink that has replaced the martini, only you drink it alone.

As one muse opined, “Rumors, fears, and conspiracy theories have been spreading faster than the virus.  People will do what they do, especially when it comes to doo-doo”.