It was early March – almost 4 months ago- when life in US changed forever as news from Asia and Europe frightened us into a tough, lonely and long lockdown, not because of a war as one might see in movies of the past or of the future, but because of a biological “black swan”, which is when many bad things come together to create havoc. Most of us took a while to reckon with this alarming situation of COVID-19, while others put their heads in the sand and said this is nothing and will blow over- some of them are still in total denial of reality thanks to our unleader Trump and his propaganda. Truth has become fake, and fake has become the truth to these people sadly, with their minds shut down and hearts closed as this article calls it “the tragedy of denial” https://www.wbur.org/news/2020/05/03/science-politics-and-the-coronavirus. I felt so sad when a Chinese restaurant in Wyckoff, NJ -not far from here- had COVID19 sprayed all over their front façade- what a callous cowardly act! Now, when I hear that the South is in the same situation as the North was a few months ago, I feel sorry they didn’t heed the advice of scientists; yet I am grateful that my daughter Mona and family can finally come back home after 4 months in the South!
For those of us who observed every rule and guidance from scientists, we are feeling proud that we not only flattened the curve, but “bent” the curve in NJ as my daughter Sonia was explaining to me. By being so strict (and if there are 2 people who are super strict, it is Sonia and Nuzzo’s daughter Noreen- we jokingly call them the Dr. Fauci’s of our family), we saved many lives, as hard as it was at all levels- financial, emotional, physical, etc. Even a few days ago, my granddaughter Izzy asked her Dad if she could hug me, and Reza said “only in the pool”, so we hugged in the water thanking the chlorine for helping us! Even our youngest grandchild Nyla, who is only 2, understands social distancing and does a virtual hug; once in a while she will run toward me and then stop herself, and my heart just melts with sadness and pride at the same time.
I am grateful for the stillness of the many days in isolation, such as today, which has allowed most of us to reflect and reexamine our lives notwithstanding the fact that many have suffered major losses and that cloud of grieving will be there forever for all of us, no matter how we fared. For those already on the spiritual path, it has been a case of deepening and accelerating the journey. As I sit on my deck enjoying the periodic pitter-patter of the rain, the rustle of the leaves, the chirping of the birds, I smile to myself that only 12 hours ago the backyard was a scene of a long-awaited reunion with friends! Ten or so of our friends joined us – each with dish in hand for the one-dish party- and talked and laughed into the lovely night. I felt proud that each of us observed the social distancing while eating and conversing. It was a nice reprieve from the isolation we had been feeling, and now is adding momentum to the feeling that some return to normalcy is at hand. To add some buoyancy to our step, NJ announced that schools will be open in the fall!
As I have said before, it will never ever be the “normal” we knew. The Universe forced humanity into a “reset” as my daughter Sheema put it. She has been back at work in her periodontics’ practice- with all kinds of new rules and regulations- and observed how the reset has reshaped her thinking and way of being – she appreciates everything more and feels grateful more than ever. I loved her term “reset” and that became the prompt for this blog. And like her, I am truly grateful for this reset in our lives so that we may live more moderately, more mindfully, more compassionately in our voyage on the Earth because if there is one single lesson, and there are too many to list, it is how interdependent and interconnected we are. See https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/12/after-coronavirus-the-penny-has-dropped-that-wellbeing-isnt-individual-but-social? So if Planet Earth is to be reset, each of us has to reset ourselves and ask questions like: am I truly committed to reset myself and my family; how will I reset my thoughts, mindset, feelings, goals, expectations, habits and practices; my needs, wants, desires; what will I do differently to truly reset and help others in this time of opportunity? Cheers for a great reset for the benefit of all.
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