The Bright Side

Does anyone recall the Seinfeld episode when Jerry, Kramer and Newman were sitting in Jerry’s car discussing how the various days of the week had a certain feel to them?  I often think of that episode and how it epitomized the genius of the Seinfeld writers.  After all, don’t most of us have a sense of what day of the week it is?  Sunday certainly has a feel, as do Monday’s, Friday’s and Saturdays.  But as I recall, and in typical Seinfeld fashion, during the scene Kramer deadpanned that Thursday had a special feel, before an exasperated Jerry admonished him with, “Thursday doesn’t have feel!”

Personally, being retired adds to the sensation of daily sameness.  Just last week I was unaware it was Sunday until I turned on the TV and saw “Meet the Press” flash across my TV screen.  Then completely undeterred, I doubled down the next day when Bobbi and I forgot to put out the trash until the Vail Valley Waste truck was backing down our driveway.  Fortunately, the considerate operators noticed our plight and waited until we wheeled out both the trash and recycle bins.

But regardless of how our daily lives have changed, what many are concerned with is what’s the world going to look like when all this ends—whatever “ends” means.   While no one knows, rest assured much will change as this unwinds.  Which brings us to another reality, that the consequences, both positive and negative, will likely not be fully known for years to come.

On a personal basis I am temporarily scrapping political commentary because partisanship during a crisis is despicable and I have no tolerance for it.  Having said that, this much I do believe—most people, from the president down to our local county and municipal officials are decent, responsible and doing their level best to address this matter.  Meanwhile, let’s not forget we’re all human, which means mistakes and missteps will occur at every level of society.

The president, the governor, our mayors, the CDC and emergency personnel aren’t infallible, and they will slip-up and perhaps miscommunicate.  But before criticizing, we should ask ourselves how many times do we “slip-up or miscommunicate” within our own household or workplace environment.

Lessons will be learned, but this episode is so tortuous, convoluted and rife with unintended consequences that trying to foresee the future or what the ‘end-game’ is will be a veritable impossibility.  There are just too many moving parts and inter-related facets.

Personally, I try to look on the bright side.  Can you image this crisis without online shopping or home delivery, or if there were no way to work remotely?  And have you thought about what it might be like if all inbound flights from China or Europe weren’t halted when they were?   Thank the lord for small favors.

While purely anecdotal, while I surf the Internet and speak with family and friends I believe we’re experiencing a renewal of spirit, if not in the country as a whole, certainly community by community.  I’ve read accounts where supermarkets have set aside slots for the elderly to make sure they don’t miss out on essentials.  I believe some banks are taking similar steps.  And speaking of positives, clean hands are back in fashion hopefully making it easier to illustrate the importance of washing hands and not touching our face to our kids.

As an aside and a sop for climate activists, think about how much the burning of fossil fuels has decreased not just in this country, but also around the globe.  And on a less serious note, how many of us can now sit back and binge-watch those old favorite TV series?  Bobbi and I began with Breaking Bad, moved on to Better Call Saul, then Bosch and are now into Season 5 of Game of Thrones—“You know nothing Jon Snow!”  And for me, I’ve been able to re-organize my Lightroom photographs, while putting together two photography study groups where we share images and critiques over the Internet.

Who knows when, how or even if this matter will ever be fully brought to closure—but with few exceptions, I believe the character of our society is revealing itself and for the most part, I’m very positive about it.

Quote of the Day:  “Your ‘good old days’ are still ahead of you, may you have many of them.”—Sam Levinson