Keeping the enemy at bay

I can’t quite find the words to describe it but it feels like there has been a shift in consciousness regarding the prognosis for our summer. Government institutions have started to toss around the idea of rolling back social distancing measures and some countries who saw their outbreaks peaking weeks and months ago have started to emerge from their isolation. While I find this all fascinating and extremely hopeful for those of us still in the midst, I am nowhere near ready to abandon these safety measures that have not only kept us safe but come to represent the only semblance of control we have over our immediate circumstances. As someone who has struggled with anxious thoughts and saw them increase in frequency and intensity when I stepped into motherhood, I can’t deny a certain level of comfort that I feel being removed from so many uncontrollable factors. But from the comfort of our bubble, I can feel everyone unshackling themselves from the grips of winter and yearning for any indication we are on the road back to ‘normal’. As much as I want to join in this revelry, from where I’m standing not much has changed. While the experts stress that the stabilizing number of new cases reflects our diligent efforts to remain isolated I worry about how many people see this as a signal to relax the safety measures that at this point are just keeping the enemy at bay. The war is still waging and if you are lucky enough to be able to stay home I hope you continue to do so.

The ideas for these blogs usually stem from some overwhelming thought or feeling that has taken front and centre in my mind and I usually run out of things to say at about this point where I’ve outlined some internal struggle that I think other people may relate to…but then I am struck with the thought that for anyone who may take the time to read this I’d like to leave them with some small seed of optimism. And this is usually followed by some reflection on what silver lining or nugget of goodness can be taken away from my thoughts of the day and transforms this exercise in public venting into a pretty powerful mindset altering moment for me – so to anyone who’s ever read my words, thank you for helping me remind myself where to look amidst all the darkness.

What I take away from this particular thought is to really recognize the collective effort that we’ve made as a species towards a common goal. This is not to say that as a society we do not face numerous worldwide issues that everyone should care about but to focus on that now is not productive. What I think is important to highlight is that this is an example of an instance where the actions of one person makes a monumental difference because every single person who makes the decision to isolate and do absolutely everything they can to prevent the spread is an integral part of the solution. It’s a very strange juxtaposition to hold so much power and feel so helpless at the same time but we’ve proven that we can make the necessary sacrifices for the greater good which if I’m being perfectly honest is something I’ve doubted of humanity throughout the course of my life. As much as I worry about how I will allow myself and my children to reenter the world after this pandemic it helps to believe that because of everything we’ve gone through that world stands a chance of being a much better place then the one they were born into these last few years 🌎