For some reason the song “Yesterday” by the Beatles is in my head today. As the song says, “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they’re here to stay, oh how I long for yesterday”. It is amazing how much our lives have changed in just a few short weeks. How our routines and daily lives have been completely shut down and now we are forced to replace those rituals of daily life with something new.
Normally, adaptation takes a while. All creatures on Earth are given a little time to adapt to their new surrounding and situation. Not so with this pandemic. The quarantine came on suddenly and with tremendous force thus compelling us to adapt quickly.
What is truly amazing is how quickly we have adapted. I remember telling my brother-in-law when Lily was a baby that babies are much tougher then they seem. If they weren’t, we would not have grown into the dominant species on the planet. Humans, as is evident from the quarantine, are incredibly strong, resilient creatures.
If this situation has made you feel powerless, take a moment and recognize how truly powerful and strong you are. Take a moment to be proud of how quickly you adapted to a “new normal”. How you were able to change your behaviors when change was required. Humans are much stronger then we give ourselves credit for, and this quarantine and virus proves just how adaptable and tough we truly are and always have been.
Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Micah
