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.