Friday, March 05, 2021

A year since racing home

Uncertain skies
Somewhere over the U.S. eastern seaboard
March 5, 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram


A year ago today, I boarded a plane in Orlando. Florida and headed home from a wildly successful work-related event.

I remember sitting around the pool with my colleagues before we left for the airport, under palm trees swaying gently in the sun, chatting happily about what we had accomplished over the past few days, and less happily about what lay ahead.

The duality was troubling, and I quietly wished we could sit here indefinitely, and wait out the storm that was building around us.

If we're being brutally frank, the trip back was terrifying. COVID infection rates were trending upward, and every headline was more ominous than the last.

The prospect of spending a few hours in a tube breathing largely recirculated air while sitting in close proximity to hundreds of strangers wasn't terribly appealing to me at the time.

I just wanted to get home, and stay home, but feared what I might pick up along the way.

As we winged our way north, the sun slowly settled into the horizon, putting on an ever more colorful show for anyone who took the time to watch.

So I picked up my smartphone and tried to compose something workable through the dirty plastic window. I thought about the stunning scene playing out before me, and wondered how long it would be before I'd be able to witness it again.

I still don't have an answer to that last question, but I am thankful I made it home safely. And that I was able to witness such indescribable beauty amid such uncertainty.

A year later, we've learned in so many ways how global events change us as individuals.

We've also learned what we must do to keep the lights on back home no matter what obstacles may lie in our way on the journey back.

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