Dear Friends,
After more than a decade of writing to you and encouraging you to go out,
deeply breathing and stretching, the new global restrictions in effect since
mid-March remind me that I must instead insist that we adhere to local and
national recommendations so we can continue to remain healthy. We must
stay indoors as much as possible, seeking comfort and wisdom by relying
on (mostly) our own abilities to find meaning and a hopeful message in
this almost unbearable pandemic.
Thanks to amazing modern technologies, the way the world can now work,
play and communicate with loved ones has allowed us to confirm that we
are all in this together. The gift of desperate times has been the incredible
outpouring of generosity and collaboration we have seen day after day in
community after community. The skeptics are finding it more difficult to
get under the skin of open-minded, tireless workers who continue to show
up despite the dangers they face. My sincere admiration for them all.
Last week we had to have our fiber-optics internet fixed. The dispatcher
informed me of the protocol for interacting with the technician ahead of
his arrival. I made a note of everything and placed sanitizer and wipes at
the front door. The problem was fixed in less than ten minutes. During
those ten minutes, the technician touched and used our phone, a fan, a
desk and the modem. When he was leaving, he automatically reached
out to shake hands with my husband who wisely offered his elbow. After
he left, we meticulously wiped everything down; a good new habit.
When I woke up this morning, Dusty Springfield was singing the 1964
David/Bacharach-written hit song “Wishin’ and Hopin’. In an odd cement-
history moment, I could recall all the words to a song I have not heard in
a long time. This current “perpetual state of confinement” has made me
more introspective. I found myself analyzing the lyrics to a song that urged
action for success rather than “wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin'”.
In a bizarre segue, I concluded that only coordinated world action to create
a vaccine will begin to replace the wishin’ and hopin’ our leaders forecast.
Have a good Sunday and a safe and healthy week, Marietta
Marisundays 