Discover 3 Years Ago

If you have Google photos, every day, they foist a montage of past photos at you. Sometimes I push the button, but most days, I ignore it. This past week I went on a trip down memory lane every day. Three years ago we were in Paris. Perhaps the trauma of Covid filled me with some desire to look at those pictures of a different time.

We had dinner with friends this weekend, and one of them recalled that the only time in our history where life took on such epic proportions of daily fear was Britain, 1945. One day a bomb could destroy your entire neighborhood while you quickly went out for provisions. Britain was bankrupt. Fear permeated through the streets daily as havoc, and daily uncertainty became routine. Different than Covid but similar too. Covid is silent; one could say it has been worse.

The world has been traumatized. The US has fared better than most as I am watching our city come back to life. Others around the globe are not so lucky. So much has changed, and much is changing but much seems like an odd return to normalcy.

Our conversation was positive yet cynical. We all understood the trauma we have been through, the silver linings of friendships, and the acknowledgment of mental health issues, but where does this go? If you look at major historical events, we can point to changes that took place over time. Nothing happens overnight, but when you look back, you always realize how much has actually changed.

The summer will prove to be a breath of fresh air with people just busting out, hopefully responsibly. Yet the financial divide has been amplified, many have lost family members, systemic racism has been prevalent in our country from day one, and now it is finally shining brightly around every kitchen table. Businesses will struggle for a while to figure out new models. Younger generations have lived through one of the strangest social experiments per se in everyone’s lives, and pets are everywhere. Where’s fashion going as it always reflects history, what will restaurants become and, our living spaces have become even more important. DIY continues to grow, and returning to our basic needs, such as baking bread, growing plants, and slowing down, amplifies.

Bottom line, all of this will reverberate for years to come. The question that looms is what will it feel like in the years to come?