The other night Carol and I were watching a movie. Like most people, we’ve been watching lots of movies lately. This was a sweet independent film about a struggling improvisational comedy troupe set in New York City, the type of film we’d normally pay to see at our locally run theater if it weren’t currently shuttered. Anyway, there was a scene early on in the film set in a crowded pub. The actors and their friends were there to unwind after a show. They were all drinking, sharing food, laughing, hugging, you know, living. My initial reaction was, “Look at how close they’re sitting to one another don’t they know that’s not safe?” Shelter in place and social distancing are barely a month old and already a scene like this looks foreign to me.

Five weeks ago most Americans were going about their lives as usual. COVID-19 was here but no one seemed to be taking the threat seriously yet. Then a basketball player tested positive and the NBA suspended its season. Things changed overnight, literally. Shelter in place, social distancing, people walking around wearing face masks. It seems like we’re all living some surreal nightmare. I keep expecting Rod Serling to step into our living room at any moment to warn us about “the signpost up ahead.” What made the Twilight Zone so scary and so real was the way in which Serling showed the terror ordinary people  like you and me would experience when faced with an unexplainable phenomena. We could relate to his protagonists, they could be us. Well right now that ARE us.

When this nightmare is over, and it will end, future generations will judge us by how we acted during this crisis. We can chose. Are we going to be toilet paper hoarders? Someone who stockpiles hand sanitizer and price gouges it on eBay? Or are we going to keep a level head, take care of ourselves and our loved ones but also do what’s best for the health and well being of the communities in which we live? Calm, kindness, caring and humor are some of the virtues that will help us all see this through

There’s a darkness hanging over the world right now, there’s no doubt about that, but rays of sunlight keep stubbornly breaking through. If you wade through the doom and gloom of the daily news, you’ll find countless acts of love and kindness happening everywhere. On my daily walks and bike rides I’m seeing more people outside in my neighborhood than ever before. Families playing with their kids, dog walkers, joggers, bikers. Smiles, nods and friendly greetings abound. I passed a woman the other day while biking the Joe Rodota Trail in Sebastopol. As I rode by she flashed me a radiant smile and used both of her hands to trace a huge heart in the air. We may be six feet apart right now, but we are united as human beings.

A songwriter friend of mine recently played me a new song of his where he poses the question: “What kind of lemonade are we going to make from these lemons?“ As you all know, there are a hell of a lot of lemons out there right now. My heart goes out to the thousands of people who are dealing with the death of a loved one or the loss of a job or business. How do you even begin to deal with those types of personal tragedies? Maybe, just maybe, COVID-19 will help us all realize that we’re not just a bunch of countries separated by artificial borders but a global family. We’re in this together and together is how we’ll find our way out. Perhaps this is the dawning of a new era of global cooperation where we can not only defeat this virus but also find ways to once and for all tackle seemingly intractable problems like climate change, poverty, and racial inequality. Positive? Idealistic? Well, I’m an elementary school teacher a father of twin teenagers who are just beginning to come into their own. I have no choice but to have hope for the future.

Perhaps we should start right here in our own neighborhoods. If we do, I think we’ll discover that the person with the American flag flying from their front porch and the person flying the rainbow flag have more in common than they both realize. If you’ve never taken the time to get to know your neighbors, I’ll bet you’ve done so by now

People all over the world want the same things; a safe and healthy place to raise their families, meaningful work, economic stability, clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, food on the table. If this virus has shown us anything it’s shown us that we’ve only got one planet and we damn well better figure out how to share it. Deeper and more meaningful cooperation globally and locally, perhaps that’s the lemonade we can make from all of these lemons. Well, we’ve got a tree full of lemons in our backyard and plenty of sugar in the cupboard. I’m getting started right now!

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

John Lennon