Roadside Wisdom in the Time of COVID

We’re nearing Week No. 4 of staying in place and I can tell you that most everyone I know has just about had it! Even though most of us understand that we are toeing the line to reduce the spread of COVID, to allow resources to become available for others in need, and to ease the burden for those on the front lines, it is still hard.

It’s hard!

Moreover, we are more connected to each other than we ever realized—even when we are staying away. The news of a grocery worker’s passing or the grim toll in assisted living and nursing homes are daily reminders why we must practice being present to whatever arises—boredom, impatience, frustration, grief, guilt, loneliness, joy, hope. It all belongs, as my meditation teacher Tara Brach would say. We are witnesses to it all.

On the rare occasion when I have gone out in the last 20 days (like the two times when I waited over an hour in line at the supermarket), I’ve been filled with immense appreciation and pride for my good neighbors. Almost everyone is donning some sort of face mask and I find this amazing. The first time I was so taken back, I felt like crying. We all look like we might be ready to rob a bank and yet we are all in the same posse.

One outcome is that no one gives a $#!+ about appearance. And people may complain, but it’s not for too long. COVID19 is a formidable teacher.

So when I drove past a church sign one day I took a u-turn, literally and metaphorically. I got out of my car and snapped the photo above. The world may be shutting down. My daughter’s graduation may be cancelled. But love is not.

May you and your loved ones be safe and healthy.