Some Good Came Out Of That Damn Pandemic
Just a few short years ago, none of us were healthcare experts. Oh, we knew when to go to the doctor, and when to take Advil or Allegra, but experts? Not even close. Just a few short years ago terms like “antigens” and “social distancing” were non-existent in our everyday conversation. We thought Johnson and Johnson was baby powder, Pfizer was good for your complexion, and Moderna was probably a style of furniture.
We all know how that changed.
Today we're practically doctors, or at least pretty good nurses. We know how to test ourselves for a deadly virus, how to sterilize our homes, and hey - we even know how to quarantine. Terms like social distancing are in daily use (and maybe overuse) and we’ve become more germaphobic than Howard Hughes.
This is not new. We’ve pretty much been health nuts for decades. Fitness has been a national craze since the 70’s (thanks Rocky) into the 80’s (Aerobics anyone?) and up till now. (Don’t be late for Pilates.) But this is heath and wellness stuff, not hardcore medical applications of which we now know a lot.
Remember those debates among friends and family on which vaccine was the most effective, when to get a booster and what symptoms to watch out for? We were all at one big global medical convention, but we weren’t allowed to mix.
There was a lot of good going on here, and in saying that I’m not ignoring the many souls we lost, but honoring them. We amazed ourselves at how quickly we learned the rules of survival, the various treatments available and became walking encyclopedias on a virus that had enshrouded the world and kept us away from one another.
Ironically enough, the distance united us. Tell me, how many Zoom videos did we watch of musicians playing together from various parts of the country, and sometimes the world? How many friends and family did we call who we hadn’t spoken to for a while, or have virtual celebrations with?
These digital house calls were in short supply before the pandemic. The difference is, now we were experts. We could compare notes, reveal discoveries, share recommendations, give support and most of all - send love.
And that’s pretty damn good.