Wakeup Call

Ah, this pandemic. As an elected official, I listen to citizens complain about schools being closed, the affront of being asked to wear a mask in public places, and the frustration of seeing traditional parts of our local economy collapse inward and die. As an officer of my neighborhood association, I witness the frustration of trying to hold meetings for a population that just won’t (or can’t) learn to use Zoom.

But, as the communication consultant for a cutting-edge nonprofit whose focus is reading signals and spotting trends in order to actually shape a preferred future, I view this pandemic as a wakeup call. I am introduced to the amazing lessons we as a society can learn from this pandemic. Perhaps our traditional workplace, with staff huddled in a single facility, working within sight and earshot of each other, is not the only way to work.  Perhaps an antiquated educational system built around the single classroom in the stand-alone school building, where learning can be imagined only as face-to-face, could be improved. Maybe families spending more time together in their homes could become a good thing.

Through the deprivation of this public health crisis, alone at home with just a small dog and the TV for company, month after month, I’ve had time to consider the fabulous lessons we might learn from the worst global health crisis in 100 years. The experts discover the big, revolutionary changes we could consider adopting. We little people, though, can spot the small improvements to our lives that just might - when the virus is under control - lead us to better habits, greater satisfaction, resilience and even peace of mind. And so I invite ordinary folks to comment here on the positive and hopeful revelations in their daily lives that make this pandemic a wakeup call.

Please comment as often as you wish - just keep it hopeful. I’ll revise regularly to accommodate the wonders I find here.