“Lenny Bruce is not afraid!” (photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Keeping it (somewhat) brief this week because my anxiety can only take so much. All human beings have lived through moments of historical significance, but this one feels particularly important. Whatever life looks like after the coronavirus pandemic, it will be fundamentally different than the life that preceded it. Too much is changing too quickly for there to be any other outcome. Unfortunately, as historical moments do, it is going to put the squeeze on all of us who weren’t fortunate enough to game a broken system adeptly enough to amass the current capital of a small nation.

And, yet, for as stressful and frightening as it all is, there are more than a few silver linings shining through that I am attaching some of my hope to. Not going to do a deep dive into them in this blog post, suffice it to say that I will go to my grave believing that the majority of human beings are basically good, and that goodness will inevitably shine through in hard times.

Oh, and as if dealing with this pandemic shit wasn’t enough, Utah decided to go and register the largest earthquake along the Wasatch Fronts recorded history on Wednesday (for the record, a 5.7). It happened shortly after 7:00 AM while I was washing dishes and Sarah, Ceci, and Eli were watching some weird YouTube show Ceci likes in our living room. At first it sounded like our dogs romping through the house, but then it got louder and slightly more sustained. By the time my brain kicked in and registered that I was feeling actual physical movement associated with that sound the seismic waves were fading. It was big enough to cause some property damage across the city, but (mercifully) not strong enough to hurt anyone.

Between the quake and the incoming illness storm, it makes one wonder if these are the end of days. That is one (fatalistic) take. I’m choosing to look at it all of this as an opportunity to:

Take stock and be thankful.
Enjoy the rare time to pause and strengthen bonds with those I’m in self-imposed quarantine with.
Look for opportunities to digitally connect with the people I love and haven’t seen in a minute.
Get prepared for the weird road(s) ahead.
Reacquaint myself with me.
Reflect and be thankful for being alive in this equally absurd moment.

Earlier this week, I quipped on social media that after spending an exhausting day trying to explain the realities of these strange days to a hyper-curious six year old, I was thankful when the Talking Heads shuffled on my Spotify and did a better job of doing it in four minutes than I ever could. Everyone stay safe, stay healthy, and be the best you possible (in spite of the times you/we are struggling through).

"That's Great, It Starts With An Earthquake..."