Being There for Each Other

I recently went out on a walk with some friends I haven’t seen in so long, and it was truly like breathing fresh air. For almost thirty minutes everything felt somewhat normal, like I did months and months ago. But something had changed. I could feel so much closer, in such renewed understanding as we all talked briefly about our lives, disrupted but not beaten down, rising above all the fear and uncertainty of this pandemic. There is unspeakable tragedy happening all over the world, and so close to home, yet for a brief moment, it completely disappeared.

That’s something I hope I will always feel once we begin to move on from this, and there’s a chance that we can find a better future, not one that seems so far off, but one that is available to us instantly when we open up our compassion and working for each other. It seems trite to say we’re all in this together, but we truly are.

I can’t say it any better than this New York Times article I found again when I came back home. This is a brand new day for me, and I’m only feeling it because of my first few moments outside, when I could finally put everything I’ve been reading into practice, quietly. It’s because of being outside today, in the light of the day, that I was able to do this, just through the simple, everyday, yet heroic moments we can all share when we are being there for each other. I’m so grateful. Sometimes that phrase can almost seem hollow and untrue, but today, it’s something else. I feel nothing but gratitude for this moment, in a time I’ll never forget.