Today, I receive my COVID vaccine booster shot. I’m sharing this, not to launch into a lecture on the importance of vaccines and getting vaccinated (they are / you should) but to provide context.
Taking another step towards the end of the pandemic (hopefully) has me thinking about the beginning. It’s hard not to think back to the beginning of the pandemic.
My last in-person meeting, before the world switched to Zoom and video-conferencing, was a therapy session. Looking back, I can appreciate the symbolic poetry of it given the toll the pandemic has taken on our collective mental health.
After my session, I had a ritual of going for a walk. I won’t claim that I fully comprehended what was coming at that point, but there was a hint of apocalypse in the air that day.
The sidewalks were eerily empty. The sounds of the city, all but silent. It was the calm before the storm. For the briefest of moments, the world waited.
Towards the end of this walk, I made my way past a theater marquee that I’d walked by and under countless times before. This time, instead of promoting the current or upcoming show, it read – Keep Calm & Wash Your Hands.
Perhaps it was/is an oversimplification, but in this instance, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Yes, we now know that you should wear a mask and vaccines are awesome. However, the main message sometimes gets lost amidst the mandates and protocols.
I’ll leave you with that message and whatever emotions it may evoke – take care of yourself.
Be Kind. Be Brave. Stay Awkward.
Onward & Awkward 