Well… we are five days into 2021… feel any different? It is weird, but I do. It feels like I have a new outlook on the situation, not a new perspective, but a different feeling. Whether it is because the calendar simply changed from 2020 to 2021, or the fact that the vaccine is out there being injected into more and more arms as I am writing this message, I am not sure.

 

Either way, I feel more hopeful, even though there does not seem to be an end in sight for our current Safer at Home order and we continue to see our ER’s and ICU’s inundated with those who are infected. I am still very frustrated and upset that people continue to feel their personal liberties are being restricted, even though it is evident that their actions do not only impact them but others as well, as we know more, and more people are infected or are dying from COVID. And yet, I remain hopeful and optimistic.

 

Yesterday, I was forwarded an article from the New York Times written by a Holocaust survivor. In the article, she reflects and compares what she experienced during the Holocaust in hiding with how she has spent the last 10 months. And as you read, you will see that her biggest regret is that COVID took a year from her. While she does acknowledge that she has far more freedom than she had over 75 years ago, she still feels like she is missing out on opportunities and experiences.

 

I think that many of us feel the same way. In my mind, it is not so much that we have lost almost a year, but rather we lost the experiences that we should have been able to have that we regret and feel a big sense of loss. This past week alone we lost being able to celebrate New Year’s Eve the way we have done in the past. And we watched the Rose Bowl played in Texas, after not being able to experience the pageantry of the Rose Parade.

 

Even with all of this, I still feel more hopeful than I did in 2020. I guess it is because I feel that once we get through this latest surge (which as a reminder… we were warned that the winter would be bad), we will see the numbers begin to improve, and with it, most of the severe restrictions will be lifted. I believe that when that happens, and as more vaccines are rolled out, people will finally feel like the end of the pandemic is near.

 

So continue to hang in there and keep doing your part. And just so I am clear… this includes rolling up your sleeve when your number is called for the vaccine. And this is coming from someone who HATES needles.