Lions and Tigers and Bears...

The day began bright and sunny and 52 degrees!  For early March in New York this used to be unheard of.  I grabbed the opportunity for a walk, a walk to embrace the enigmatic warmth and the blueish sky.  The sky was the kind of deep blue color that my yoga instructor always asks us to envision with our eyes closed.  As I tried to hold on to that image, I thought of another yoga reference.  You are to say your first name and a positive affirmation, like “I am strong and healthy;” “I am grateful. “ I did feel strong and healthy. But I couldn’t seem to push away the many scary things threatening to take over my peace and quiet.  Coronavirus jitters, election terror, and last night’s tornado in Nashville were all fears I wanted to keep at bay (not that they should necessarily be grouped together). 

First up: the Coronavirus jitters.  I’ve gone back and forth between thinking ‘this too shall pass,’ to buying in to the hysteria.  I confess I bought frozen vegetables, and yes, tuna fish cans, but I fear I don’t yet have enough peanut butter.  “Buy food and water,” my writing project colleague texted a few days ago.  She’s normally level-headed, so I proceeded to go to Costco (!). My daughter texted today that her law firm instructed them to cancel all non-essential travel, both international and domestic, and so goes her planned trips to Charleston and Austin.  Every report you read or hear on the radio or TV makes it sound worse and worse. 

Next is the upcoming election.  I can’t keep watching but I can’t look away either. I ran into a neighbor/friend walking his dog on my walk and we talked about the insanity of the world and what we can hope from “Super Tuesday.”  It was not a happy conversation. I remember that I lived my life relatively calmly during the Obama presidency.  I wasn’t constantly filled with angst!  I didn’t watch and read endless news.  I trusted that things were pretty well taken care of. 

Weighing on my mind, in addition, was the Nashville tornado last night.  I have two good friends who have daughters with family who live there. I saw the CNN pictures of the devastation and heard about the many deaths.  Luckily, I found out later that both of these families are okay. 

As the daylight of today turned to dusk, a strong hard rain came.  Lions and tigers and bears... - they’re out there.