DAY 200

 Sunday September 27, 2020

A month into remote teaching and six and a half months into a pandemic brought on by a novel coronavirus, COVID-19 has changed the way we live. This is the new normal. The mask wearing, social distancing, no concerts, parties or sporting events to attend. Minimal travel. Remote teaching and learning.

Strange times indeed, but as i said it is the new normal. This is not strange anymore, just sad. Our lives have been changed and not for the better. Over 30 million people infected and over a million killed by an invisible and deadly virus transmitted by us. It is like something of a science fiction story yet all very real. We continue to fail in our defense against the virus. Particularly the U.S., but nations around the world are still seeing the virus spread. The numbers do not lie. Since July 15 the world has reported over 200,00 new cases daily and the seven day average is currently 296, 104. Yesterday the world reported nearly 333,000 new cases.The country of India is averaging more than 1,000 deaths a day.

The U.S. is not far behind with over 5,000 deaths in the last seven days. The Washington Post reports that our college age people are continuing to spread the virus as this article tells:

"New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that young adults who catch the virus may seed waves of infection that travel up the generations, infecting middle-aged and then older people." 

And this photo shows:

Also, doctors are finding a new side effect to the virus is hair loss. Which seems to be tied to the bodies psychological defense of the virus, in other words the stress of job loss, deaths of family members or other COVID related anxiety. (such as the fear of contracting the virus)

In preparing for a hybrid model of learning in which some students will be in person while others learn remotely. The following information from the Washington Post is interesting and relevant:

"Only about 100 children and teens have died of covid-19 in the United States — a minuscule rate that still baffles scientists more than half a year into the outbreak."

And yet they can still be carriers and that is a scary proposition as we get set to see them in person in two weeks. Of course, masks are required at all times and social distancing is in place and will be enforced, yet the risk remains. The anxiety grows. The pandemic continues. The new normal is only new, but certainly not normal.

Day 193

 To be able to watch NFL games and other professional sports is something that helps bring a sense of normalcy to our world. Even if the stadiums are empty and the seasons shortened.

Watching athletes perform at the highest level has always been something I have enjoyed.

Since March 12, 2020 there really has not been much enjoyment only cancellations and infections and deaths. The world sits in a position where over 30 million humans have been infected by the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 and now closing in on 1 million lives lost.  The US continues to lead all countries in both totals (cases and deaths). The nation continues to be embroiled in a partisan fight for what is safe as many Americans choose not to where masks as our POTUS chose not to do while others are maintaining social distance and trying their best to keep themselves and others safe from transmission. It is unbelievable to me that a virus transmitted most effectively by humans continues to crush us even though the defense is three simple tasks, where a mask, keep your distance and regularly wash your hands. 

This graph tells the story of our failure.

Over six months later and we are reporting nearly 300, 000 cases daily.  The virus will not just go away and a vaccine however close or far away one is is not full proof. 

This week we mourned the death of a great woman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former supreme curt justice lost her battle with cancer and passed away at the age of 87.

A true carrier of the flame of independence and perseverance.  She overcame many obstacles to reach goals and accomplish greatness most people only dream of.  You can find her inspirational advice for living here: RBG-advice-for-living-a-full-life

Be inspired to achieve the goals and dreams you desire. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but having a growth mind-set can be helpful in finding the answers to many questions.  The biggest question being who am I and what is my purpose. Through your work and ongoing efforts, the help of others and the proper strategy anyone can achieve what they most desire. Some get lost along the way due to obstacles they cannot seem to overcome or falling into the trap of a fixed mind-set. You must be unwavering in both your conscious and sub-conscious thought. These tools enable you to tap into the universe and from there many opportunities can come to you. Be ready and daring to take them. Fear not! 

Day 186

 September 12, 2020

Quote by Jack Kerouac: “Be in love with your life. Every minute of it.”

Living life is loving life. The want, the passion, the thrill and the simplicity of it. Going through the every day chores and monotony is not living, it is just the part of existence that is required in order for us to truly enjoy living life in the ways that bring joy, excitement and anticipation to our soul. 

To be honest the last several months since the pandemic was declared and we were given stay at home orders, travel bans were in effect, social distance was suggested and all the fun was taken from us we have had to get creative. Humans designed their own versions of fun living. There were so may amazing people sharing their talents with the world. One of my favorites was Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her kitchen disco!

Here she is in all her glamour with her lovely voice singing pop songs and classics from her kitchen. 

Kitchen Disco Episode 3

Yet even now after all these months and many people are back to work in some way. The novelty of creating our own fun has lost its appeal. We want to go see live music and live sports and visit the art museums and movie theaters. We miss the trips to the library and our favorite cozy coffee shop or book store. This pandemic is wearing on us, but we must persevere. That is what we do as humans. The struggle has always been real. The triumph over tragedy is a human way of life. To press on. To continue to strive to live you best life. (or your okayest life as I saw on a tee shirt recently).

It is now our charge to find the living within the life mundane. The quiet moments when you are reading.  The love moments when you are looking into the eyes of your significant other, the one person in life that gives you great joy. The subtle moments on a walk when you are in touch with the world.

The exuberant moment when you complete a workout and you are breathing deeply and your muscles ache.  The simplest moment of lying in your bed knowing who you are and what you want.

The artist Keith Harring struggled much of his life with this quandary as I imagine many people do both young and old. Truth be told it is not an easy answer to find. Harring, when he was 19, wrote in his journal, "I don’t know what I want or how to get it. I act like I know what I want, and I appear to be going after it — fast, but I don’t, when it comes down to it, even know.

He eventually found it through art. The creation of art for other people brought him the joy that enabled him to find love of life and love of self. By the end of his life he was able to accept it all, the life, the pain, the death, the embodiment of existence. Harring found success and despair during the eighties, a decade of time in which he became a known to the world as a talent, but also saw AIDS take the lives of many of his friends and eventually his life as well. Near the end he accepted the fragility of life and the mystery of life to a degree which resonates with Albert Camus’s insistence that “there is no love of life without despair of life.”

Through our lives it is up to us, the individual to seek and find our path to love through despair. Life is fleeting and fragile and thin. It is there for a time in which we do not know the length. A short poem, a long novel, a short film and episodic series, a postcard, a mural. A life few will see or the world will know. No matter. Your life is yours and it will never be repeated or replaced. Each of us has the unique ability to life and love. And we never really know ourselves because we are always seen through the eyes of others. We are made up of the perspectives and opinions of those we meet and impact.

How will you leave your soul stamp on others? How will you be seen and remembered? 

Embrace life and share it so others may see you as you have never seen yourself. 

Day 179

 When I wrote in my blog last week the world had reached 25 million cases of coronavirus and 847,000 deaths. In one weeks time we have transmitted and verified 1.9 million more cases, but unfortunately only a few thousands deaths. The total stands around 880,000 on Sunday afternoon. 

It is safe to stay nothing has changed. Last night on our way to pick up dinner we saw many people walking around the streets on their way to here or there. A bar/club we passed had folks spilling out the door and waiting in line. Mostly people under 30. Most were wearing masks, but who know what the situation was inside. With people drinking I highly doubt they are masked. I have no idea of the ventilation in this place. This is happening all over the world. The youth of today spreading the death of tomorrow. Since the re-opening of college campuses. 

"many across the country have seen an increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks as students return for the fall semester. The potential spread of the virus off-campus has deeply affected workplaces, schools, governments and other institutions in local communities. In the U.S., at least 51,000 coronavirus cases and at least 60 deaths from the virus can be traced to American colleges and universities..."

The U.S., Brazil, India, Argentina and Spain continue to be hotbeds for the virus.  This chart explains the last seven days.

 With Brazil and the U.S. having over 250,000 new cases in one week it is awfully apparent neither country has leadership tasking the pandemic seriously. The lack of control in the U.S. is rampant as the numbers indicate. In the case of India (with over 550,00 new cases in one week) it is a matter of space and population. There is no place for the people to go, to quarantine to stay socially distant. 

We are currently in a remote school system where all kids are home and staff are either teaching from home or from their classroom. The school hallways are eerily quiet. On Friday, Maren was one of only three adults in her building. We are anticipating a switch to a hybrid format in the middle of October. All the details of this change have not yet been shared with staff and we are still a month away.

A lot can change in a month. I heard Colorado is the second highest tourist destination in the U.S. for Labor day weekend. First is Orlando, FLA.

"So, life goes..and so, I go...carry on my brother" -Neal Cassady (of the famed beat generation)

As Billy PIlgrim in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five repeats each time he sees a person deceased, "so it goes"

And although this Billy Joel song is about loss of love. Some may say "loss is loss"...

Billy Joel- And so it goes