SUNNYSIDE UP MOMENT April 6, 2020
“#Together Apart"
SUNNYSIDE UP MOMENT - APRIL 6, 2020
DAY TWENTY-ONE OF THE CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWN FOR US AT STACK 'EM HIGH PANCAKES AND SO FORTH
Good morning! When our children were babies I spent a lot of time rocking in the chair singing, humming, drifting off to sleep barely mumbling. Our greatest hits included, "Annie's Song" by John Denver, "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay and "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. To this day when I hear these songs, I get a little dewy eyed...okay, sometimes I have a full-on cry. I cry because I am nostalgic for their little fingers and toes. I cry because it seems like it was all just yesterday. I cry because before too long they will begin to live their lives by their own design.
This morning, I came across this beautiful version of "Hallelujah” on YouTube. The tears made their customary appearance, but not for their customary reasons. I was actually quite taken by the tag on the bottom of the screen. #Together Apart. The hashtag is not only a battle cry for today, but a reminder that as a people we can be greater than the sum of our parts. Whether it is polite conversation or not, the truth is we have been in need of something to break the ice between us, some way to bridge our divides. As we publicly espouse the virtue of wiping down surfaces, maybe we should privately be wiping our slates clean.
#Together Apart has the potential to be a mantra for life after Covid-19. Approaching the apex of this emergency with deference to the high ground and an invitation for your neighbor to join you there would mean we really are willing to be better versions of ourselves now and in the time to come. The universe has made an astounding gesture that has brought us all to our knees. This severe situation may be our opportunity to recall our shared humanity, a chance for the sacred in me to honor the sacred in you. Henry David Thoreau said, "It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear." The truth is we really can be #TogetherApart if we try. Hallelujah.