Life by Art: Part Eight
Jesse Hulse
Waiting for the locust.
Well, so far 2020 has certainly thrown us some real curveballs. The pandemic debacle has overshadowed much of our daily lives as we try and muddle through choosing to do the right thing as we begin to move forward. Hopefully, making choices that will ultimately benefit all of us when we emerge on the other side of this. Opinions and strategies abound, as you might imagine, but regardless of your stance, most of our lives will have been curtailed to one varying degree or another. And, no matter what thoughts you have on wearing a mask, or how to vanquish the virus, or return us to some sort of normalcy, it will have touched all of us on some level before it’s all over. We’re halfway through the year so far and it still looks like we’re going to be in for a rough ride for the remainder. So, expect quarantined turkey at Thanksgiving and don’t look for Santa coming anywhere near your chimney this Christmas.
Also, depending on where you live in this country, severe weather has also reared its ugly head again with brush fires, coastal storms, flooding, along with the hurricane season, that no doubt is soon to follow. Our region recently suffered a great deal of damage by rare lake-effect winds and thunderstorms called a Derecho. It’s a real thing, trust me. Look it up. Originating over Lake Erie, it swept surface winds of well-over 80 mph across great swaths of Pennsylvania, leaving a path of state-wide power outages and immeasurable tree damage in its wake. We lost power for over 5 days but it could have been worse, I suppose. No frogs, or flies, or locusts. Not yet, anyway.
In the midst of it all, an even more devasting storm has been plaguing us as we try and wrestle with some of our nation’s more difficult past. There are a number of euphemisms about those who forget the past being doomed to repeat it, and it’s still a fine line between erasing and forgetting versus learning and growing in order to calm those rough waters. There will have to be a compromise at some point as this storm of divisiveness continues to pound the shores of human disparity. Of peace. Of acceptance. Of unity. I don’t presume to have all the answers, I just hope we find one before this goes down a more hurtful path. We need to come together, now more than ever. We shouldn’t lose focus on the common enemy and finding a cure to this debilitating virus — and make no mistake, it’s the one thing that doesn’t seem to care about who you are. No matter what side you’re on.
We can always mend roofs and repair powerlines. We can even try and prepare ourselves with stronger shelters against the next big storm. I also have no doubt we will beat this awful virus one of these days soon, just as we’ve always done in the past. We are a smart people, resilient, and resourceful. We can do great things if we put our minds to it by solving a common issue, not banging our heads together in anger.
We will persevere. Love those around you. Trust in us.
Child of God by Jesse C. Hulse
® 1975 Jesse C. Hulse. All rights reserved.