“Calling out to the astronaut,
I need some of what you’ve got,
I need to be high.”
This song — one that brings me back to my pink haired, lip ring wearing, skateboarding adolescence — has been stuck on repeat in my head for weeks now.
Why?
Because I’m sad. Aren’t you sad? If you’re not… shame on you. We may be on the tail end of the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t change the fact that nearly a quarter of a million human beings across the globe have succumbed to this beast. And it doesn’t change the fact that more U.S. jobs were lost in the last month than were gained in the last decade. It sucks. It really, really sucks.
“Crawling out of the world she brought,
calling out to the astronaut,
I need to be high.”
So… how do we crawl out of the world this virus sucked us into?
I haven’t a clue. Though if I had to wager a bet, we’ll crawl out scared and slowly. Uncertainty will be the name of the game, and we’ll all have to be cautious to a fault in order to avoid a second, more devastating wave of this disease.
The novel coronavirus has had a profound impact on the global economy, but it’s been particularly brutal for the aviation and travel industries, and it will take years — perhaps decades — for things to normalize.
“And you are not alone.”
The world feels lifeless these days… but one thing that has brought me comfort is simply knowing I’m not alone. We are all affected by this pandemic, and we’ll all continue to feel its ripple effects for years to come. My hope is that when it’s over, everyone will have learned at least one valuable lesson.
I’ve sure learned a lot, but I’m still not quite sure what my biggest takeaway will be once the virus is a thing of the past. What I do know is that I feel tired, cooped up and ready to get back to some semblance of normal — though, as someone who is safe and healthy, I can’t complain.
For now, I’ll do my part to combat this disease by staying home. That’s really all any of us can do… stay home, and perhaps volunteer our time or resources to help in some way.
To combat my own sadness, I’ll continue to look to the sky… that’s where I find hope. I encourage you all to really focus in on whatever it is that brings you hope.
It feels like we’re all so far apart right now, but in terms of how this has affected humanity, I feel like we’ve never been so united. So, brush your hair across your eyes, cake on some black eyeliner, and take comfort in the sweet sound of early 2000s pop punk, and in the words of Something Corporate’s Andrew McMahon:
“You are not alone.”
The Great Planes 