Silver Linings
What a spring! It’s been volatile both in the weather and our lives.
Despite the upheaval that a tiny organism has wreaked on the world, optimism abounds.
There are some silver linings. Like?
Nature. Have the flowers ever been more luscious with all the rain? It is healing.
Humor. I have never laughed so much as the daily jokes, videos, and memes flow to my phone. Now I smile when I still get cruise ship brochures. If they can hope for better days, that’s the least I can do.
Even on the rainy days when I felt like a slug staying in my bathrobe until mid-morning before changing into yoga pants, I found ways to feel productive. I turned the oven to self-clean while binge-watching the Worricker Trilogy.
And Zoom. In addition to businesses, Bible studies, boards, book clubs, families, and even my pledge class learned how to join a meeting and see one another looking like the old Brady Brunch opening credits.
We have shared our Netflix faves, our book titles, our recipes, our stories, and felt accomplished.
Besides new technology, there is another benefit this spring. Walking. America is on the move. We have the most exercised canines on the planet. Families are pushing strollers and riding bikes, waving to anyone and all.
Appreciation. There’s the weirdness of it all: no end of year turnover meetings, graduations, banquets, picnics, and the rush that is May. Yet the unity of all being in something together makes this crisis bearable.
Don’t we appreciate all who serve us now? There’s a new recognition of those who are the glue that keeps society together. The sanitation workers, delivery drivers, grocery store clerks, and pharmacists are my new heroes.
When Mother’s Day comes due this May, in addition to appreciating all that moms do, we can add to the list teacher. Homeschooling has enabled moms (and dads) to realize just what their children are learning and how valuable teachers are.
Gratitude and kindness. The silver lining of spring has been the incredible acts of service in the grocery stores, sharing by neighbors, and uplift from the faith community. So, while parents are tired, health care providers are exhausted, children cooped up, we keep on keeping on because that’s what an optimistic America does. It’s who we are.
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