Holding the Center

Just when we thought the pandemic was subsiding and life was returning to normal, the Delta variant burst upon the world. In Austin, sadly, we are at Stage 5, with hospitals full and the virus quickly spreading. Yet life must go on. After essentially losing an entire school year, not only academically but also socially, students will soon return to classrooms this month and in Texas public schools, masks are not even required. Learning to live with COVID is the current reality. Shutdowns, which decimated the economy, are a thing of the past.

We all have to come to terms with how to absorb this, not only logistically but emotionally. We are experiencing a global trauma. Panicking and fear-mongering won't work, and most of us cannot stay sequestered indefinitely. It is spiritually toxic to shame friends and family who have chosen not to get vaccinated. This is a free country, after all, and we are already dangerously divided.

We DO have some agency here. Embracing the moment, finding joy where we can, taking obvious precautions, communicating love and compassion to those around us and practicing self-care seem like the best path forward. What choice do we have?