A letter from March 22nd, 2020

Dear FutureMe, We’re starting week two of being quarantined due to the coronavirus. Nobody knows when this will end or how it will change things. School is cancelled until May at least. We can only leave the house to buy groceries, wearing gloves and masks, and to go for walks. Many people are out of work, many businesses are struggling. Many people are sick and dying. There is no end date. We just have to be patient and wait for an effective treatment or vaccine. There is so much fear and stress worldwide right now, and a lot of ugliness. People ignoring the rules, people hoarding supplies, people lashing out at others. But a lot of beauty and kindness, too. A prevailing sense that we’re all in this together, that while we are separated from each other, we are also more connected than ever. I wish so much that you could reach back from the future and tell me how this all plays out. How long does this go on? How many people have to die? Is there a vaccine now? A cure? Has the economy recovered? Are the kids back in school? Is it safe to go out into the world and stand closer than six feet away from other people? I hope the answer is yes, and that you don’t take the simple things for granted anymore. Volunteering at school. Watching your son play baseball. Watching your daughter perform in a play. These things are privileges, not obligations. No matter what, I hope you are still finding beauty and joy in every day. Love, You