As We Know It

 Anybody else around here remember when the world ended? 

It was about four years ago. Everyone went home and hid. People were dying by the thousands. Refrigerator trucks were parked outside hospitals to keep up with the corpses as they were rolled out to make room for the wave of victims who were contracting the virus that spread faster than anyone could imagine. 

We stayed inside. We learned to watch streaming video. We learned to order food and groceries online. We learned to wash our hands. 

No one wanted to talk about it much, but there was a fear that we might not all get past this one. More than a million people died. While we scrambled for a way to keep ourselves safe, before there was a vaccine, we coughed and wondered if we might become part of that horrible statistic. We "hunkered down," as my mother used to say. The enforced closeness tested plenty of relationships.

I was pleased to discover that my wife and I were compatible enough to endure a pandemic. I was happy that once I finally contracted the disease it came from my lovely wife who decided to tempt fate with an overseas journey. There was a lot of moaning and groaning, but no visits to the hospital was necessary. 

And as soon as there was a vaccine available, we stuck our arms out for the needle. 

Meanwhile, we taught and took our meetings on something called Zoom and learned the value of K95 masks. We also learned that there are people who will, no matter the reason or cause, argue with what's good for them. Denying science went hand in hand with denying election results. Medicine and math became points of contention. Conspiracies came in flurries and once again,  relationships were tested. 

Somehow, we came out the other side. The world did not, in fact, end. 

It just changed forever in ways we are only now beginning to understand. 

Four years ago.