I was supposed to have been in New York with my Dad for Easter. I’m not Christian anymore, so the holiday itself doesn’t hold any real significance to me, but it’s a time for my family to gather. This year we got together over Zoom like a lot of other folks. People are connecting across states and continents in ways we hadn’t imagined only a month ago. Parties, spiritual services, yoga classes, seminars and just about anything you can imagine are available online now.
When this crisis first started one of my best friends kept saying things would be forever changed after this. It sounded like doom and gloom, but I shrugged my shoulders. Things don’t ever stay the same. If we busy ourselves trying to make things stay the same, we will end up disappointed. Time marches on with or without #Rona. I pray we see a lot of positive change going forward:
- The global community united behind a single cause
- Americans finally awakened to the grim reality of the current administration
- Universal healthcare sooner rather than later
- Belief in science and climate change
- New compassion for those who are shut-in
- Realization of the need to reduce social and economic inequality
- Resurrection of our unions and middle class
- Increased access to telecommuting for students and workers
- Outrage at the atrocity of animal cruelty, “wet markets” and factory farms
- New understanding that the mistreatment of animals can kill us
We can forget a lot of things, but the pandemic of 2020 won’t be one of them – it has the potential to break through our collective clutter and have a huge positive impact on our future.
When I was in school, I remember one of my teachers writing on the blackboard, “no man is an island.” Today, the phrase is a little sexist. No person is an island. We all impact each other. We all need each other. Sometimes people ask me why vegans care what other people eat. We don’t care what others eat, we care about the implications on animals and the environment, and perhaps even the healthcare system. If we dreamed a vegan planet there would be no coronavirus – it would resemble the Garden of Eden, God’s paradise for humankind.
When I traveled to Costa Rica in February, the U.S. Health Dept. led me to believe I’d be fighting off mosquitoes. When I got there, I stayed at an ecolodge and barely saw any bugs. Our guide explained that insects don’t overpopulate unless the ecosystem is out of balance. Apparently, the biblical plagues of mosquitoes, locusts or African killer bees don’t happen unless our earth has been sorely disrespected. Whatever your belief system, it makes sense when you realize that plagues are actually brought on by human interactions with the natural world. Change will only come from national and international environmental policies as a result of public pressure. We are who we've been waiting for. The task force created by Sanders and Biden give me hope. I look forward to hearing the tempered voice of Obama again soon.
While there’s plenty to look forward to, and every day I’m thankful that my family is okay, I realize #Rona stole our collective dreams for 2020 and we deserve to mourn our losses. Many of us will lose people. All of us have lost our innocence. We have all had to change our plans.
As families everywhere are grieving for loved ones, I’m thinking about what my family can do to mourn our lost dreams and our shifting reality. I think just acknowledging the year that could have been is enough. Whether you light a candle, write a letter to 2020 or take a moment of silence, the process of mourning lends closure and opens a path to healing. Let's mourn what we’ve lost and set expansive, hopeful intentions for our collective future.
I wish you Freedom, Alignment and Effortless Abundance!
Trish
P.S. This morning I opened a package with a Bernie Sanders mug and bumper sticker. The timing couldn’t be more ironic. I can mourn the end of his campaign and still be grateful for all the good that his candidacy has done. If you want to understand more about the connection between animal abuse and the environment, check out Cowspiracy on Netflix. If you want to learn more about the Chinese wet markets that seem to have given rise to coronavirus, check out https://www.peta.org/blog/coronavirus-covid-19-what-is-a-wet-market/
