Lock down, Day 452, well it just feels like it have been 452 days since we started this journey. It is a journey of unknown duration and we do not have any real idea of what we will find at the end of it.

STEP AWAY FROM THE REMOTE – Don’t even think about turning on the news. It will only worsen your mental state but also physical wellbeing. This whole experience has given us an even deeper meaning of fake news from talking heads with no clear sense of what we should do, how we should live or even a morsel of hope that it will all be okay. Someday.

There is sense of exhaustion, day by day, with none of the regular reminders of daily life. We are truly living an updated version of Groundhog Day but Bill Murray made it so much funnier. Perhaps it was all in my mind but then why do I feel tired without having much to show for my efforts

If I get one more email that reminds me I am in it with everyone but just not together, I might scream. I’m not waiting by the phone for a call on my test results or to get an updated on a loved one in ICU. These folks are really in it, just like all of our first responders. How can we be together when we are all isolated?

This is a test of our humanity. As we now fear not only a nearly invisible virus, we are afraid of each other.

So this is our challenge: how do we preserve, enhance or share our humanity in times such as these? We are a creative and determined species with incredible strength and resilience so we will figure this out both individually as well as a community. Adapting to life with the changing landscape and technology to bridge this gap via FACEBOOK, ZOOM and yes, even with a simple postcard in the mail.

It’s okay to be human.