Yesterday, the weather here was so spring-like that I decided to venture around the block for fresh air and a fresh viewpoint. Even though the latest article in Atlantic Monthly on "The Most Likely Timeline for Life to Return to Normal" predicts very little change in the Covid-19 lifestyle this coming spring (but is hopeful for the summer), we are far more adapted to basic restrictions than we were a year ago. That, in addition to the continuing vaccinations and accumulated medical experience in treatment, will be a significant difference from last year's shocks. The prediction of 500,000 deaths from Covid-19 in American did not seem possible. And yet, now here we are. Yet, as we try to absorb this phenomenal level of loss, the case loads are falling. It is a time to mourn as well as look toward the future. There is no easy way, no perfect way. As I wandered down the street, birdsongs filled the air, the light on new garden growth in the yards was amazing, ) a mid-school age girls' athletic team ran past--all wearing masks with their coach behind shouting, "6 feet apart, 6 feet apart!" It seemed to me there actually were more people out with masks, another observation to fuel my cautious optimism.
Spiritual explorer and writer Alexandra David-Néel (1868-1969) wrote: “The wise expect nothing, hope for nothing, thus avoiding all disappointment and anxiety.” And American spiritual teacher/writer Ram Das advised, “It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience, including the negative ones, as merely steps on the path, and to proceed.” We all vary in our capacity to handle disappointment or wavering faith. Some wisely give up having any expectations whatsoever. While I certainly agree it is better not to expect life to conform to our demands, and not to judge events as they unfold, it seems to me that faith in ultimate Goodness gives us resilience in the face of hardship and devastation and the strength to act in service of that Good, again and again. The Good is already at hand. (Susan Nettleton)