It’s cold today. Not the brutal kind of cold that makes you dread going outside, but cold enough to make your bones ache, if you’re of a certain age.
The passing of American Thanksgiving signals the full fury of the Holiday season. But, news of a new COVID variant may arrest the shopping frenzy. Toilet paper and staples may trump electronics in coming days.
In our house, we only recently used all of the rice we bought at the beginning of the pandemic. A stack of food security was optimistically replaced with a single five pound bag of rice. Our home stores are at the lowest they’ve been since the beginning of the pandemic. And now I’m feeling ill-prepared for what may lie ahead.
One of our basic needs is the need for security. COVID attacks that need in so many ways. We cannot feel physically secure because this invisible contagion can be anywhere. We cannot feel financially secure, because of the duel threat of illness and shutdown. It’s even difficult to find security in family who could unwittingly infect you or be wisked away by the disease.
It feels like we are back at the beginning; woefully so this time. What have we learned? Pandemics are a slow burn of traumatic stress. Optimism should be restrained with the greatest of caution. Be prepared to start over.
Beyond Clarity 