This was written last year as the COVID disruptions rolled out in a hopeful manner to slow the uncertainty. It struck me a bit how some things have improved and many have not. Its the way it normally goes. A friend of mine shared a story about polio and its vaccination efforts too. (see below).
MEMORY
A wee bit irreverent, but isn’t that what this whole situation is. This is a moment in a timeline my children will always remember.
Hopefully, the memories will be sweeter than any bitterness this situation has brought up. For a headspace guy like me, being present is often raw, and in the recent past, I have encountered a lot of pro positivity.
Let’s be real for a moment. Negative things happen – feelings, situations, relationships etc. It is those things that provide an honest perspective, a wise measuring of just how gratitude works when truly real and positive things occur. Joy is not joy without knowing pain or suffering. Sure, we like to ‘project’ all is well, but ofttimes it is so far from that.
This is what I love about this opportunity. To unplug, to simplify, to control ONLY what I can control. I love my nuclear family, and this scenario reminds me just how precious my nuclear family is to me in this poopy situation. I am grateful to know both the bitter and the sweet. For without it, I would just be numb, and that to me is not being alive. Grateful. Present, aware and full of hope. Hope that tomorrow will help me feel more alive. Yes! And grateful to my wife – Liz – who chooses to weather this journey with me. Giddy up!
1953: A quick story about Polio
Summer time was not a time of fun and frolic. It was a time of fear. Mothers across the country and across the world dreaded the warm sunny days because the sunshine brought with it a virus called Polio. Originally called Infantile Paralysis, because it was thought to only strike children, it left its victims paralyzed from the waist down, or totally disabled in an iron lung, incapable of breathing on their own. Future President Franklin D. Roosevelt was himself struck down with the disease one sunny weekend at a lake retreat. He remained without the use of his legs for the remainder of his life. March 26th, 1953 everything changed. Doctor Jonas Salk announced on a radio program that he had successfully tested a Polio Vaccine and the drug was ready for mass distribution. The general public was hesitant but Dr. Salk publicly vaccinated himself and his family. The public was now ready. Children lined up in schools to receive their shot of vaccine. As the number of children vaccinated rose, the number of polio cases decreased. Dr. Albert Sabin introduced a variant of the vaccine to the general population. In a few years, Polio was a thing of the past. Summers were a time of fun and enjoyment. Mothers could finally relax.
Thoughts
I wanted to keep this short and to the memory and story on polio. To that end the current “Too long didn’t read” (TLDR) culture is pervasive. What I try to focus on is staying present and using examples from history and wisdom to create healthy patterns and trajectories into my/our family’s future.
This seems to be a neglected skill – I am grateful to my triathlon activities that have helped me greatly in this pursuit of personal development, headspace and mindful living.
Cheers!
