“Death & Taxes” is often a refrain heard this time of year that either brings a shrug or a chuckle depending on your particular point of view. People from every walk of life find themselves contemplating this refrain with perhaps a touch more anxiety here in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Sadly there just aren’t enough meth lovin’ gun toting, animal saving documentaries to distract us from the reality of what our very new normal looks like. For some of us the change has been gradual, for others it changed literally overnight. The loss of jobs, access to schools/teachers/friends/co-workers and to say nothing of the entertainment industry we once knew has ALL forever changed. It’s easy to laugh at the memes that poke fun at the masses who once were beyond content to stay locked in their perspective offices, homes, coffee shops readily glued to their phones/laptops etc NOW are only to eager to walk, run, job OUTSIDE once given a firm suggestion that keeping ones butt planted in the house would trigger an onslaught of: “I need some fresh air” It’s harder to laugh at the 24 hr onslaught of press briefings, filled with grim stats, unanswered questions AND the ensuing chaos.

We humans are a funny lot, lets face it we wanna believe we have ALL the answers or the potential to find them, use them and make them our own, Nothing could be farther from the truth. We know very little in the grand scheme of things, in fact ill go out on a limb and say we know less than nothing. Oh sure shake your head in disbelief, wag your finger & point/laugh as you marvel at all of our collective achievements! The invention of fire, the fishing rod, the airplane! we’ve put men in space & 20,000 leagues under the sea! yet lo & behold; no cure for Dengue, Diabetes, and my fave “the common cold” NONE! We cant even figure out how to change lanes in cars we invented without trying verbally assault one another of over a turn signal, because we have lulled ourselves into somehow believing that we are superior to one another time and time again. According to www.nsc.org 38,000 people died in the USA last year due to car accidents. yes its a 2%decline from the prior year, but its a staggering number indeed. A number more often than not attributed to human error. 38,000! some of them taken away instantly others after battles to stay alive for varying periods of time only to succumb to a demise that arguably could have been avoided. Life is often taken for granted & we have always powered through one end of times scenario after another with very little regard for the next “internet breaking moment” yet somehow this world changing scene stealing pandemic has left even the talking heads/politicians and philosophers scratching their heads with the ability to pontificate freely suddenly snatched from under them. No ONE man, world leader, Doctor, or civilian can bring this thing to a screeching halt. No one woman will deliver us from the jaws of death that certainly await the unfortunate ones who shall be taken from us by this powerful invisible force. To Quote Mr. Driverless Car: “The first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will occur.” (apologies to Elon if i butchered that) Together however, we can work towards a solution that encompasses many more answers than questions in order to preserve, protect and cherish that fleeting span of time that is each and every one of our collective lives as we stand together albeit 6-10 feet apart to live one more day. Maybe getting outside with your kids, maybe spending time with your spouse sans smartphone, maybe seek out a career path you never thought possible or secretly ALWAYS wanted? Just remember life goes on with and without us! Make the most of it before you flick off that driver next to you, or snatch that last roll of toilet paper off the shelf…