Nourish Your Soul with Family, Friends and Fresh Air

Spring has sprung. I would normally say no one is more excited than me, but I think every neighbor, every friend, and even the people I don’t know are excited for a change. The best part for me, at 7:30 in the evening, there is not hint of dusk, it is as bright as the day was.

Before I go any further, I want to say Happy Mother’s Day to my mom! For those of you that do not know her – she is wonderful (and yes, I am biased)! I have even executed two vaccine shots so that I can visit her with no restrictions.

I think this spring we are indeed seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. COVID cases are going down; hospitalizations and deaths are continuing to trend down; vaccine administrations are available for almost all those that want to receive it. All this suggests that herd immunity is kicking in.

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Like with every other disease that has afflicted civilization, this will be with us forever, but hopefully no more egregious than the average flu.

Interesting to note, I have read several articles recently suggesting that the Native American population has been the most receptive U.S. minority to embrace the vaccination effort. In many states, the Native American population is virtually 100 percent vaccinated.

The most important part of the light at the end of the tunnel is that recreation, entertainment and daily life is blooming. Professional sports, music venues, restaurants and festivals – there are things to do. I personally am going to The Georgia Renaissance Festival in Fairburn this weekend! Yes, my daughter Jacqueline and I will dress up, drink mead and purchase arts and crafts that we, questionably, need. These artists may be the first to reap the benefits of my home incarceration for the past 14 months.

The best part of getting back to normalcy – aside from wearing a mask less often, which should not be discounted – is that as people get back to work and play, we will hopefully be distracted from extremely polarized political debates, rioting and all the other negative effects that come from being isolated and sequestered for long periods of time. We are social creatures and without outlets for communal activities, humans easily make the worst out of a bad situation. Our rabbis would tell us that we can also make the best out of a bad situation. I would argue that positive outcomes occur more readily if our neshama is nourished with family and friends. My wish this spring, this Mother’s Day, is for all of us to nourish our soul with family, friends, fresh air, festivals and a positive outlook on all the challenges that lay ahead.