I'm going to jump right into this. I'm afraid it will be hard to follow or overly dramatic or redundant, because, like many of you I'm working from home today with my kids. After every 4 words I type someone has a question about cheese or is arguing with his brother about how long that sock has had a hole in it or is reading me the funniest parts of his current book, which are neither funny nor understandable when heard out of context. I love them, and they're growing into adults I will be glad to know, but this brain functions best in silence!
We are being written into history, folks. In another century someone will search the records to find out how the people of 2020 responded to the uncertainty of COVID-19 and all the chaos it caused around the world. We have the opportunity to be great, to leave a legacy of compassion, wisdom, self-sacrifice, hope, and decency. Greatness happens in every moment that we decide to do the hard thing, the thing that raises us all out of our sickness and selfishness. Even when we're full of uncomfortable emotions, we can choose good.
So what legacy do we want to leave?
I want those history students 100 years from now to see that we happily gave up sporting events, dances, and ceremonies to help contain this sickness.
I want them to read that we shared what we had when there was nothing left on the store shelves.
I want them to know that we joined together, listened to expert advice, and used common sense and wisdom to limit the illness in our communities.
I want them be inspired by the fact that we had such surety in our hope for the future that we acted on that hope and created that future day by day.
I want them to see that while Wall Street suffered, we supported our friends and neighbors by spending money in their small businesses.
I want them to find out that we were kind even when we felt impatient and frustrated.
I want them to know that in 2020 human beings came together -- separately, in their own homes :) -- to care for one another and to show compassion even when we were stressed to capacity.
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