On January 1, 2020, we were filled with excitement, gladness and hope, that no matter what the New Year brought we were ready and able to cope.
But it is plain to see you gave us about 3 ½ months of warnings, and a false sense of security. Then you showed up like a rage-filled assailant with a mission in mind– that of bringing death and destruction to all mankind.
The thoughts and opinions expressed by some is that you waited until this year to come, and on your part it’s no oversight, because 2020 is synonymous with vision and sight. You were hell-bent on getting your message of destruction sent too, a calculated and clever move by you. You gave us nine months of unimaginable disorientation. From scrambling for toilet paper, Kleenex and Lysol, ensuring we had enough to answer any call. Our needs and priorities were constantly shifting, while our mood and attitude needed lifting.
You were an onerous impregnable force, a stalker, a chameleon and lastly to state extremely succinct and indiscriminate. You were foreboding. You hid among us. You controlled us. You kept us off balance — sometimes wondering when the other shoe was going to drop, also changing the manner and method of how we shop. No one was off limits.
You shook us up. You got our attention. You made an imprint on our conscience, impacting at least four generations. Without a doubt and no need to shout, you will undeniably be in every science, social, history, medical and entertainment book in the world. Some might muse in folly to add an addendum to the Good Book, to include your many unprecedented feats, effects, commotions, deeds and looks. Your 365 days will be a big hit studied by scholars, preserved in archives and preached over pulpits. More gravesites will possess your year than any other year; more humans would also have been known to live in fear.
Over the months you have been like the annoying guest, who puts the gracious hostess to the test, refusing to leave even after the table is cleared, dishes washed, dried and stacked away, lights turned off and nothing further to say. Other weeks, you were like a merciless warden, who walked by our locked cell, our forced hell, jingling the freedom keys.
I dare not call you names, but if the truth be told, in effect you do not deserve much respect. You made our blood boil, and our pressure rise, brought us to our knees and tears to the eyes. You made us grind our teeth, crack our knuckles and swear that we would stop swearing.
As we approach the end of the second wave with you, some of us have become a little heavier too. We have gained some stay-at-home COVID-19 pounds, just by having you around. . We are intellectually heavier from all we have learned about racism, vaccines, masks, social distancing and hand sanitizing. Our hearts are heavy for the losses suffered from the coronavirus, as you continue to walk silently among us.
And even among our loss, you continue to show that you were the boss. You took us to the school to the school of humility; you also showed us that you were not a completely soulless presence. You showed us humanity and compassion.
Thank you for the frontline, health care and essential worker heroes. Thank you for the parents who worked from home, while they taught their children online. Thank you for helping us find our strength, courage and voice. Thank you for the outpouring of generosity and giving for food banks, families and funerals.
Yes, Covid 19, we are unable to faze or erase you. It seems that you’ll be around for Xmas, continuing to do your own thing, while we most certainly will our carols sing. Forgive us for not paying you any mind, but we need to shift our focus, and concentrate on the reason for the season. Reports state that the vaccine is finally here, this means your end will soon be near. No one will miss you of that be sure, based on your performance you can’t ask for more.
The Christmas season, changes us, if only for a short time, in mysterious and inexplicable ways. It is a time of lights. Somewhere between spectacular synchronized light shows and a simple candle in the window, illumination beckons our attention. Memories become more vivid as our reminiscing peaks, and we feel the tug to rejoice in and renew our relationships with family and friends.
So to readers everywhere: Happy Holidays. Stay safe and Stay Well.
Aleuta—The struggle continues.
