The thing is,
COVID is part of nature
and is just trying to live its life,
just like we are,
we can’t blame COVID,
we just have to get out of its way.  
KM (friend of mine) October 2021 

COVID lives amongst us. Like all viruses it looks for a host. That’s its job. It follows its instincts. 

Some need to always reduce life to the good and the bad–a comic book Marvel film of superheroes who destroy evil villains.

COVID can’t be eliminated or made extinct. We live in a viral jungle that is part of a complex web of interdependent relationships all part of the mysterious and intelligent design of Mother Nature. COVID is just trying to survive by evolving. Like all of life. Like we do.

Did you know that our cats and dogs have been vaccinated for the Corona Virus (not COVID 19) since 1987? Viruses are part of a vast ecosystem of micro life that preceded all larger forms of life on this planet. Your gut has perhaps 100,000 viruses to make it function. Many viruses come from animals. Yes, bats and pangolins have been the hosts of COVID. But it has been our interactions with the animal kingdom, our selfish disruptions of nature, that have also created more opportunities and consequences for transmission, mutations, and outbreaks.

We must continue to fight it and yet learn to live with it. 

I was in a meeting where the conversation turned to the topic of water. How finite it is. How much we have taken it for granted. How precious we view it, now that it we are in a drought. An indigenous leader spoke up and asked this profound question, “Who is water? And what are her needs?” Ka-boom! We know water is a living thing that helps us and other living things persist. But who is caring for her?

I am not arguing that we have compassion for COVID, but it should be respected as part of life. We are part of nature and what we do impacts nature and us. And that our separateness is not based in science or spirituality. 

This has been a brutal couple of years. Not trying to be insensitive to the hardships, the challenges, and the real sacrifices we have endured. Our losses and grief are real.

We have been in isolation, wearing masks, social distancing, vaccinations, zooming etc. For those of us not in denial, we realize most of this will not change. That we are forever changed by these experiences and that our future health and well-being depends on our adaptability not our non-sensical “return to normal” and our clinging to nostalgia. 

Many of us are navigating this crazy world the best as we can. Yet many others are hiding beneath the sheets of “gratitude” and “privilege” of their COVID bed. Using the real uncertainty, anxiety, and health crises of this time as lame excuses for not moving forward with their lives.

Stop blaming COVID for your pre-COVID career co-morbidities– your laziness, your procrastination and deferral of the pursuit of a life that is true to yourself. 

“You know, because of COVID.” “Been so hard during COVID.” “Been impossible to do anything during COVID.”

The list goes on and on. COVID has become the meme excuse for not getting shit done.

We have to admit that what has been really challenging is being left to our own thoughts and confronting ourselves. Some people seek the peace of Walden, others avoid it, shall I say, like the plague.

I am so tired of hearing about your deprivation, the pain and suffering you have endured from postponing your Caribbean cruise, trip to Tuscany, visits to Vegas, Coachella concerts and your routine of clubbing and partying. All escapes and distractions from reality and yourself. 

I am sorry you had to spend more time with your family, even though you previously said to everyone that was your primary goal.

I am sorry you had more time to read, think and connect with others, things you have always wanted time for.

I am sorry you had more time to plan, strategize and reflect on what your life purpose is—what your passions are. 

Insanity IS doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. But real psycho insanity is having the gift of time and opportunity to make real change and squandering it.

With the semblance of the return to some normality–office hours and in person meetings, fighting your commute, business travel, and socializing. You will have much less time with your family, and you will have almost no time to think, dream and plot out your life goals. Welcome back to normality! 

The statute of limitations is up. You can’t blame COVID anymore. 

A record number of people are taking a break, perhaps a gap year, by quitting their jobs and not returning to work—hopefully re-calibrating their life portfolios.  Perhaps waking up to a chance to rebuild a better normal.

Even when these viral strains stop killing us, we will still need to be vigilant about our co-morbidities and deal with the new unfolding and cascading impact of Long COVID. One of the scariest parts of Long COVID, could be the long tail of our we learned nothing, and we pull those comfy sheets over our heads again. Life will never be the same. COVID is changing. That is what life is about. Change. What will change us?

Thanks for reading. John