Corona Letters #34

We need to stop waiting.

I'm as guilty as anyone.

We are waiting for life to start again.
We miss the lives we had before.
We mourn them.

It's time to stop waiting.

Life is happening.
It never stopped.
Babies are still born.
Lovers still get married.
People get sick.
People die.

Life is what happens in between all these things.

What if things never go back to normal?
What if life from now on is masks and social distancing?
What if the status quo got status quo'd?

When do we stop waiting?

I am sure there are some people who will get very rich during this pandemic.
Later we will read about them and say, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Think of that.

There are artists who will create great works of art, write inspiring poems and prose, compose beautiful music, sculpt great sculptures.  Later we will see these works of art and say, "Why didn't I create?"

Create.

There will be students who learn without any school.  They will read books, make their own experiments, test theories.   They will do this without any brick and mortar institutions.  When they tell us what they learned, we will wonder, "Why didn't I study more?"

Study.  Study without a teacher.

There will be scientists who think outside the box and come up with solutions to our problems that make all our lives a little easier, create tests that answer some of our questions, and develop drugs that make us well.   When we hear about these solutions we will say, "Why didn't I think out of the box?"

Get out of the box, and start thinking.

There are people who say that we should just let ourselves be, not be so hard on ourselves, find our inner peace and zen during this difficult time.   When we see these people on our few ventures outside we might ask, "Why am I so stressed out when they look so calm?"

Find your peace.

John Lennon wrote "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."

Life also happens when you are making no plans at all.

Or waiting.

So whatever you are waiting for may or may not happen.

It may or may not happen today.

Or it may or may not happen tomorrow.

We need to stop waiting.