So, today’s my birthday. It’s definitely the most unusual birthday I’ve ever had and I won’t ever forget it. COVID-19 is undoubtedly the most momentous and sudden phenomenon to hit humankind in my lifetime.
Every day, I get outside for a walk or a bike ride, usually by myself. (There are four of us at my house, all working from home, so it gets a bit crowded.) Today, I went for a bike ride on the dyke along the mouth of the Fraser River where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. It was a spectacular sunny day.
It got me thinking about the Earth, our place on it as human beings and the Earth’s place in our massive universe. These types of thoughts usually lead me ultimately to the idea that the minutiae of my life isn’t worth stressing over and what’s really important is the human species and, even more so, the planet and the universe.
Deep thoughts for a bike ride, but indulge me for a bit because it’s my birthday.
I started thinking about all of the things I took for granted for the first 55 years of my life, not even realizing I was taking them for granted. Here’s a partial list:
- A hug from a friend or family member
- Brunch or coffee with friends
- Going to a movie
- Going out for dinner
- Grocery shelves that are always full
- Browsing through a bookstore
- Going through my day with a feeling of peace, anxiety free
- Spending time with the older people in my life
- Playgrounds with kids playing on them
- The freedom to travel the world, time and money permitting
- Not worrying about what I touched or if another person came too close
I won’t ever take those things for granted again.
I ride my bike just across the river from the Vancouver International Airport. Most days, you can see airplanes taking off every 30 seconds or so. Today there weren’t any. Maybe it was just the timing, but I was struck by the silence.
Please don’t take this next part the wrong way. Let me be clear up front: I’m not thankful for this virus. It’s a tragedy and many, many people are going to get sick and die, which is never something to be thankful for.
However, this virus has made me wonder about Mother Nature. Is this virus a great rebalancing, after humankind has allowed inequality to explode and climate change to progress almost to the point of no return? I made up a list for this too:
- This virus has put a stop to most airline travel, reducing emissions
- This virus has closed factories in China, reducing emissions
- This virus is causing people to work from home, thus preventing emissions caused by commuting
- This virus has stopped professional sports, thus preventing emissions for travel and changing inequality
- This virus is causing governments to directly support the people, thus changing inequality
- This virus requires all of mankind to cooperate to stop or even slow it. We’ve now seen we can come together to make great change – will we be able to do the same for climate change?
- This virus treats everyone equally. It doesn’t matter if you’re Prince Charles, Tom Hanks or Sophie Trudeau. We are all equally at risk. (Although some may get their test results faster than others!)
None of us is sure how long this will last or what life will look like when it’s over. The only way to get through it is going to be to muster our collective wisdom and shared humanity.
In the spirit of keeping our spirits up, I made one last list, this time of things I’m grateful for:
- My health and the health of my family members
- My job and my family members’ jobs
- That I live in Canada, where our leaders are making us proud
- Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer in B.C.
- Healthcare workers
- Grocery and pharmacy workers
- Delivery drivers
- That I have enough food
- The Internet – imagine trying to survive this without the Internet (!) and then there’s all those lovely Facebook birthday messages too.
- The beautiful Earth, which is bursting forth with spring as we all hunker down inside
- Getting outside every day for exercise
- Friends to connect with in virtual gatherings
- Sunsets
I urge you all to think about what you’re grateful for. It helps keep your head on straight. Share in the comments section, if you like. Stay healthy out there.
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