Summer Break!

Oh, what a difference a few months have made.

At the winter solstice, we spoke about the darkest days of the year – and the darkest days of the epidemic.  We clung to the belief that the world was spinning forward toward light, warmth, new life and vaccination.  We dreamed of seeing and hugging our family and friends.  We ached for the ability to go away and take a well-deserved break.

 Are we there yet?

Look outside: what does it mean to soak up the sun and feel the new vibrancy of life springing again in Illinois?

And - did you see the numbers?

According to the New York Times, from February’s high of 254,000 cases a day (1.5 million a week!) in the US, we are down to Tuesday’s average of 24,034 cases and 543 deaths.   

Of course, at that rate, that’s still an annualized rate of 8,772,410  infections and another 198,195 deaths. Yet, we do now have reason to think that thanks to vaccination, that number will keep dropping.  (We’ll leave the question of variants to another column…)

Finally, we seem to have a break…

…if we allow ourselves to embrace & appreciate it.

What does it mean to let go of the nightmare?  I recently was on vacation and realized that with no problems to solve, my mind looked for ones “just to stay occupied.”   Can we let go of “the problems” to literally smell the flowers?

What about seeing and being with people again?  Did you ever think a hug could be such a rich, delicious treat?  Stopping to savor a meal, a walk, a game of cards or volleyball or soccer – so many precious things we did before, but may have taken for granted, now are becoming possible again.

Suddenly our empty, desolate grey and windy city is becoming full of life and joy again.  Festivals are coming back.  Music is coming back.  On good days, our beaches are filling again with sunbathers and joggers and bicyclists.

Vacation at last – even if we don’t even leave the city!  Who knew a meal inside at a restaurant could be so special?  In Chicago we have such great restaurants. We may not be able to travel the world yet, but in Chicago we can enjoy the richness of a city flourishing with diversity, with restaurants and neighborhoods full of fresh and new cultures and festivals and food.

 To see people again – in health and living full out – is there any better medicine than that?

Happy Memorial Day!  Start your Summer Break now!!