Thoughts From My Stoop: What Are We Returning To?

I am, once again, sitting on my front stoop, sipping my morning coffee and, as usual, I start pondering and contemplating. This morning’s Thoughts From My Stoop are about the U.S. “re-opening" and what we are “re-opening” to.

Social media has bombarded me with memes and rants from both sides of the re-opening spectrum and the one thing that is consistent is people’s fear. The pandemic has thrust us into a world of uncertainty, a world where we are required to love our neighbor , not just the ones we choose, but EEEEVERYBODY and that has made folks uncomfortable. The antiquated models of the workforce are being challenged. More people than usual are experiencing what a large population lives through sans pandemic: housing and food insecurities and facing the unjust socio-economic structure currently in place. Something that many haven’t experienced or have sustained the illusion of the system’s functionality.

So, what is it we’re running back to and why the rush? As many have pointed out, we are rushing to appease the 1% who make their money off of minimum wage workers. We are forced to rush to turn the spotlight away from the lack of federal leadership, support, and basic humanity from those in office. We rush because it is uncomfortable to not know what’s next, because we don’t know how we’ll stay housed, because we need to continue providing for our families. We rush because we are being thrust into the unknown as what we have known for years, is collapsing around us.

Re-opening won’t change the internal systems collapse that is already in place. It has its own inertia and no matter how hard we try to hold it up, it will continue to fall. Like most challenges in my personal life, I have found that relaxing and moving with the change makes the process less painful — still challenging, but less painful. We can no longer solely focus on our own well-being, but rather need to shift to a more community mindset. Of course, we all know how that’s going.

I guess, having lived in South America and survived some really difficult times have given me a different perspective on all this. I’ve had to ration water, ration electricity (where there were planned blackouts), and dealt with our own set of illnesses. The thing that got us through was the kindness of our neighbors, the love from family, and the acquiescence to accept the new normal. I’m not saying one is better than another. I’m just pointing out how differently I am seeing things.

I am of the privileged few who can more or less wait this out — until the government no longer gives my partner the extra cash in his unemployment check. So, until then, I’m going to err on the side of over caution — with some safe ways to adapt - to help protect those I love and those I don’t know. This is really hard. I really miss my family and my friends. I wish my daughter could see her besties, but instead I’m working on focusing what I have rather than what I don’t. Again, I know the privilege this statement is built on. My hope is that of this difficulty we can find ways to begin the process of forcing down the elitist society we are currently in so that more people can have this same certainty in their life.

Here’s the thing. We can and will make it through. How we journey through this is up to the collective “us.” This country was built on resiliency, reinvention, and industriousness. Through the most difficult times people have risen. The Suffragettes; Rosie the Rivetor; Martin Luther King Jr. ; Rosa Parks; Cesar Chavez. While we are not exactly where we want or need to to be, the seeds have been sewn and people awakened to this skin that no longer suits us. This transition is ugly, but it is my hope that we emerge with the beginnings of many victories.