Lost & Found

On March 13th, 2020, I was in a large crowd. Working in an office with 800+ other people, and attending the monthly all-company meeting – 200+ people in the same large room. Then everything changed.

On March 13th, 2021, I was in a large crowd. Lined up with dozens of other folks at Cincinnati’s downtown Convention Center. We were six feet apart, and wearing masks, as we waited to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot. Things are changing again, but this time for the better.

We lost a lot during our “lost year”: family members, friends, neighbors. In-person events went by the wayside too: church services, concerts, sporting events. Everyday tasks like grocery shopping became fraught with potential peril. The unseen monster was always lurking… around every corner, inside every stranger.

We lost a lot, but I hope we’ve also gained a bit of perspective during our long lockdown. The old saw that “if you have your health, you have everything” has more impact now. We’ve rediscovered the simple joy of a walk outdoors. We’ve found new ways of staying connected despite social distancing. And perhaps most important of all, we’ve realized that what happens half a world a way can have a huge impact on our daily lives. We’re all connected on this big blue marble that we share. Maybe we should start acting like it.