Yesterday morning, I stood in the shower a little longer than usual, letting the warm water cascade, like a waterfall, over the soft curves of my body - hoping it might wash away the lack of motivation that had settled deep into my aching bones.
 

*****

They say "the days are long, but the years are short," but this past month has felt like a year, all by itself. Without our usual scheduled busyness I find myself looking for what I should be doing, and being overwhelmed by all that needs to be done, but can't.

I remind myself that we are all in this together - all swimming through this sea of uncertainty with no sight of safe shores in the distance. And I wonder, how long can we tread this water, before we sink beneath the relentless waves that continually crash against our already chaotic minds and souls.

Then, I stop. I tell myself to just breathe.

No, everything is not going to be okay. People have died and people are dying. I cannot simply dismiss their deaths as "part of life." Their lives had value, and meaning. They were someone's lullaby singer, hand to hold, first kiss, lifelong love, and final goodbye. Humanity suffers from their loss. I do not subscribe to the notion that "everything happens for a reason." Sometimes, things just happen, and sometimes they suck.

But, with a little bit of luck, and whole lot of human solidarity, I have to believe we can get through this, together. And maybe, just maybe, we will rise to fly a little higher, when we emerge from the ashes on the other side of these flames.