Here in Vermont we began the day with high winds and snow—whiteout blizzard conditions. It felt a lot like the news of the day.
Until the beginning of the year I was a “novid”—had avoided that virus. Luck? Probably, but also being careful and getting vaccines as soon as they were available. In the five years since the outbreak many of the horrors of the beginnings of the pandemic had faded. What we didn’t know and, more importantly, what we did and argued about. Of course millions of us died. Millions. I refreshed my memory via Wiki and was again horrified by what we have gone through and thankful for the many smart people who helped make it safer along the way.
When I finally contracted COVID a month ago, it was bad, very bad, but not as bad as many have had to deal with. I did not have to get kids out the door to school, nor go to work; I stayed out of the hospital. I had plenty of food in the cupboard and friends standing by if I needed anything. Still, it was not an easy month and I am grateful it is over.
Today the Senate considers the nomination of RFKJr to a position that will certainly impact not just our country but, if he is approved, the world, mostly likely in ways that result in far more people suffering or dying prematurely. Whether it is COVID, flu, strep, whooping cough, measles, HIV/AIDs, polio or any of countless other diseases we’ve learned how to manage, the choices we are making could easily lead to a steep slope and darker days for humans everywhere in the world.
The world is not a dark place nor must it be. In these times we’ve made dark, I have choices even if brighter days are not yet on the horizon.
Still Learning To See 