Some Sunday Thoughts on Adaptability

Happy Sunday, Happy Easter, and Happy Passover! As vaccines rollout and things start to open up, I find myself increasingly hopeful and so in awe of all of us. What we have been through and are still going through, and our ability to adapt, is nothing short of amazing.

Signs of spring in Central Park

In the lead up to Passover Seder, I kept joking that “Why is this night different from all other nights?” was irrelevant this year as this night was no different from any night, all nights are the same now. (If you’re unfamiliar with that reference, this question is part of The Four Questions, you can learn more here.) To be honest, so much of my sarcasm was really sadness that this was the second time around, but the more I examined my feelings, I discovered a lot of awe. A year ago, doing things by Zoom was brand new. Now we’re all pros (at least most of the time *cough* you’re on mute *cough*). While it’s sad that we are so used to this, the fact that we have adjusted is truly phenomenal. We have rethought and revamped so much of our existence. That’s HUGE.

Yesterday marked two weeks from my second vaccine shot which means that I am now considered fully vaccinated. It is bizarre and amazing to wrap my head around. A year ago we didn’t know what this disease really was, and while there is still much that is unknown, we now have multiple vaccines to prevent it. I have started to have moments of relief and small returns to normal. Recently, I was waiting inside a store to pick something up and for the first time since the pandemic began, didn’t feel nervous about how long I was in there or the people around me. Having such little, every day moments start to lose their “bigness”… I don’t really know what to say. I think I had forgotten what running a simple errand could feel like. Again, this is both sad but also wow. It is amazing that humans are able to adapt, changing our baseline to fit our current reality.

Taken on my walk home from the Javits Center.

No one knows what the next few weeks or months will bring; Europe is not doing well and the variants are concerning, but for perhaps the first time since last March, I feel truly confident that we will adjust. It is not lost on me that this is all happening in the context of Easter and Passover, celebrations of rebirth and renewal, and for Passover specifically, freedom from bondage.

What a long and yet short year it has been. In case you need a reminder, you are doing great and have so much to offer.