The sun is shining brightly outside my office window as my kitty, Twinkles, lays basking in its warm rays on the nearby couch. The temperature is a glorious 61 de
grees in McLean, Virginia today. A light breeze ruffles the now-budding trees and the smell of the promise of spring is in the air. Aside from the constant barrage of virus-related news, one would think that it’s just any other late-winter, mid-March, Thursday afternoon. But, in the short span of a couple of weeks, the world as we’ve all known it has suddenly changed. As I sit writing this long-overdue entry, with tears threatening to spill from my eyes, I’m in shock at the latest headlines. Broadway is now dark, the NBA and NHL are halting their respective seasons, the Market is in shambles and for the first time in 124 years, the Boston Marathon has been postponed. It’s as if the world is slowly crumbling out from beneath us and we are powerless to stop it. Last night while getting ready for bed, Elyse asked, “When I get the Coronavirus, will I be okay?”
I’m not sure about you, but every morning I wake up and wonder what surprises and new situations the day will bring. Everywhere we go, we are reminded of the virus and can’t help but feel the tension and paranoia in the air. It’s difficult to keep a positive attitude and stress levels at bay when the news feed is saturated with negativity and despair. The virus has quickly become everyone’s reality. It connects all humankind and reminds us that we truly are all one in the same.
In order to get away from my own news feed, earlier today, I decided to take a walk up to my local PNC Bank. Yesterday, the branch’s ATM ate my card after banking hours (of, course) and I was forced to leave it stranded in the machine. After I called the branch this morning to confirm that the card had been salvaged (thankfully, it had), I decided to take the short, 1-mile walk up to the bank to get my card and deposit the last of our Girl Scout troop’s cookie profits. While I made my way into town, I listened to a podcast about Intuition — a topic that I have been researching and practicing quite a bit as of late — and sipped on my second cup of coffee of the day. I arrived at the bank in under 20 minutes, chatted with the bank teller about Girl Scout cookies and the virus (which I’m now thinking of rebranding as You-Know-What or The-Thing-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named) and before long was on my way home with ATM card in-hand. Easy-peasy.
It may sound silly, but just walking around our little town admiring the flowers and trees and watching workers from the local energy company digging a hole in the ground gave me a huge sense of relief. Sure, we now live in another new era of uncharted waters. 
(Don’t mind this rhetorical question, but isn’t this something that we should be getting used to by now?) And, much like we did post-911, post the Gulf War and post-the fall of the Berlin Wall (events that have impacted my own four decades here on Earth), our perspectives on our own respective lives, as well as the world that surrounds and protects us, will change. It doesn’t take a constantly updating web page or Instagram feed to remind us. These media channels just encourage the change to come about much more quickly than it did even just a few years ago. However, as much as powers such as technology, Mother Nature and the very complicated structure of human relationships threaten to alter our existence, as Annie sang, “the sun’ll come out tomorrow.” My hope is that, like Twinkles, we’re all able to relax enough to hang on ’til tomorrow.
Stay safe and well out there, my friends. Until next time, wash your hands, don’t touch your face and do whatever you can to protect yourself from You-Know-What…
Deep Thought Thursdays 
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