Good morning and happy 2021 ! I’ve been up for awhile because my pets don’t care that I stayed up and watched the new year come in last night. Nope. I have one kitty that loudly meows when she wants food, or to go outside – and she did just that an hour or so ago. But it’s okay.
I’m sitting here this January 1st, with it still dark outside, hearing a gentle rain, and looking at my Christmas tree lights one last time. I will start putting away the holiday decorations later on today – or tomorrow. There’s really no rush living in CoVid world. Right?
As I sit here and in this setting of peace and beauty it’s the perfect time to reflect on last year… Maybe differently. I have seen many posts from friends about 2020 and how it turned our worlds upside down. And, yes it did. 2020 will forever be remembered as that year CoVid 19 changed us all. It arrived with little fanfare but crept in and then by February we started to take notice. Hindsight shows us that we took way too long to react to it, and too many denied it. (That’s not a political statement. It’s just a fact.) But here we are on the first day of a new year with a pandemic filling hospital beds around the country. We still can’t quite figure out why it affects some people more than others. At first it seemed only the elderly and those with other Underlying conditions got really sick and died. But, now we hear reports on the news about young, healthy, vibrant people getting sick – and some not making it. We hear the reports every single day. Death every day. Yet, somehow most people who test positive to CoVid have minor symptoms and end up being fine. It’s the not knowing. It’s scary.
CoVid 19 has made us vulnerable. It has shown us that some things are bigger than us, and the fact that it is invisible until we see a sick person’s symptoms creates a huge mystery about it. And, yes, that makes it more scary. if only we could see it being spread… or identify who has it, and who does not. How much easier it would be to control and to isolate the cases!
CoVid doesn’t work that way so we have to reach down deep inside and think about how we can do our part to stop it from spreading. Looking back at this past year I think that this has been our downfall. Personal choice. It used to be, even here in America, that houses would be quarantined (with a sign on the front door) when someone was sick inside. The health department demanded isolation for the greater good of the community.
We have lost the feeling of ‘we are in this together’ and that we must take care of our neighbor. People prefer to look out only for themselves, and let others fight their own struggle. I don’t know why it happened (Or maybe I do) but in recent years ‘freedom’ has become stronger than compassion. Oh, some will say that they care about the well being of others… but don’t make me change my lifestyle for their sake. I care but I am fine so let me be. Just leave me alone. They too often prefer to look at how much money it will cost, or prefer to blame others. It’s not my problem.
So, I sit here quietly and I look at my Beautiful Christmas tree, lit with all the different pretty colored lights. I think about how they are connected by one cord, and we All know when one light goes out they all are affected. How frustrating it can be to lose the beauty of the lights by just one! Right? The whole strand of lights has to be okay, and the electricity has to go from one to another, for all the lights to shine.
The pandemic has forced us to physically space ourselves apart, and to ‘stand alone’ so we can keep going… but in the long run we can’t. We Just don’t work that way. We were not made to work that way. Depression comes. Sadness. Economic failures. Loss of spending times together. Giving support to each other. Laughs. Hugs. Celebrations.
As we start this new year we have huge hopes for 2021. But, without the common connection – and getting Back some compassion for others – we will be dealing with CoVid for a long time. It takes us all to connect. Wear a mask. Get the vaccine when it’s your turn. Do what is best for us all as a community.
Remember. Christmas isn’t just about the lights. It’s about Jesus coming to us on that first Christmas, to show us how to live, and care, and support each other, and reach out to the needy, the sick, and those poor in heart and soul. So here’s to a happy new year today, and here’s to a happy new start, and here’s to the hope we have for this new year together. May we connect with each other like the bulbs on the Christmas tree, sharing a common cord – And may we color the world with love and caring.
Happy new year!!
Marla’s Musings 