In the Pause of COVID-19

This is only the beginning of the pandemic. The predictions are dire.

I take a deep, calming breath, and feel grateful to be able to do so. I retreat to the woods, where the air is coronavirus-free and social distancing places me in the comforting company of trees. And yes, tree-hugging is a safe practice here.

In the pause, I turn my attention to delicate fungi on bark, birdsong, and my own thoughts. Now. more than ever, nature is good medicine for body, mind, and spirit.

“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

Rachel Carson

Around the world, normal human activity is on temporary hold. No school. No business conferences, vacation trips, recreational activities, sporting events, or cultural experiences to distract us. Shops, restaurants, businesses, and cruise lines have closed down. Flights have been grounded. Industrial operations and the production of goods have slowed. People work from home; rush hour traffic ceases to exist.

In the pause, Mother Earth breathes more easily. She’s been given a bit of respite from toxic emissions spewing into her atmosphere … for the time being, anyway. With travel restrictions and a decline in coal usage, the air quality in China has improved. Without boat traffic, fish swim in clearer, cleaner Venice canals. There is rejuvenation in the midst of death and despair.

“And in this sudden stop, we will also hear the sounds of nature — as our economic machine pauses for a moment and the contest for status or fame or money is canceled for just a while.”

Andrew Sullivan, How to Survive a Plague

It’s no surprise that the health of humanity is tied directly to the health of our living planet. Pandemics and climate change may operate along different time frames, but can one existential threat teach us about the other?

People are suffering, I know. Countless lives and livelihoods are at serious risk. Health care workers and essential service providers bravely wage this war from the front lines.

Still, for those of us sheltering in place, with less at personal stake, it’s a time for reflection. What can we learn during this period of uncertainty and fear? In living with less, will we discover what is necessary and what is not? And will we choose to let go of familiar practices that harm our planet and, in turn, us?

In the pause, may we imagine new, more sustainable ways to work and create and connect and prosper. And may we all find some measure of healing.

“…And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.”

Kitty O’Meara, “In the Time of Pandemic”