We Have All Been Tested

One of the weird things about a pandemic is how it’s a great equalizer. In these times, we all get tested.

2020 – Get Thee Behind Me

As the calendar year winds down, I’m hearing and reading from so many people who are glad to see 2020 end. For so many different reasons and especially since the pandemic took hold around the world, we’ve all been worn down by the weirdness that has been twenty-twenty.

Many of my friends have been wearied by shelter-in-place (aka “the lockdown”). However necessary, this has required us to stop relying on the sense of solidarity we got from community and proximity. Under the threat of COVID-19, we needed to create physical distance in order not to overwhelm our healthcare systems.

Others have been tested by the grief of these days. Besides the people infected or killed by the virus, there have been too many other people in my circles affected by cancer and other ailments. There have been other losses in 2020 as well. Grieving is such a huge weight to bear.

And Then: Literally Tested

The threat of this vicious virus has also made testing a normal part of our routines. Some of my co-workers and family members have to be tested regularly — many of them as much as 1-2 times per week. But if you’ve been awake this year, you know this already and have seen the constant flow to the testing centers.

Personally, I’ve only been tested a few times for travel or because of potential exposure to the virus. Thankfully, all of my tests have been negative. Not all of my fans, friends, and family have been so fortunate.

Besides being virus-free, the pandemic has tested mental health for every caring person I know. With so many challenges to our humanity and sense of community, it’s no wonder this has been so. Give everyone a break. We may not be our best selves right now.

There’s More Testing Ahead

We have new hope and expectation now that there are multiple vaccines available. However, there is still lots of time that will require us to be tested (in multiple senses of the word). To ensure the safety of our friends, co-workers, and family, we will need to reassure them with negative (aka “undetected”) results.

(It feels weird to want to share negative results, but in a pandemic, that’s the way it is. In this case, that negative is a positivity.)

And I am committed to supporting and reassuring those I love in the other creative ways that I can find to do this. That’s what the pandemic has called me to do. How about you?