Counting Coronavirus Blessings

I went on a long walk this morning, and, to turn a Warren Zevon lyric upside down, it gave me a chance to contemplate eternity above the vast indifference of demons. In this very strange, anxiety-inducing and uncertain present, are there any blessings to be counted?  Here are some that occurred to me.

If you have any blessings to share, PLEASE leave them in comments … I’m sure we could all use a lift.

First, we’ve been filling some of the extra time by going through old files, finding stuff like new car stickers from the 1970s, trip souvenirs from the 1980s, etc. It gives us a chance to relive some good times and reflect — things we don’t often do when there’s a lot of stuff going on. Maybe we’ve traded in  spiritual boredom for physical boredom.  Right now, there’s too much physical boredom, but when this thing is in the rearview mirror, if we can strike a better balance, what a blessing it would be. Dale Ahlquist, President of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, talked about this very thing today, much more eloquently:

Second, facing adversity is never fun and never easy. But adversity does make us stronger, better able to cope with whatever comes our way tomorrow, five years from now, 50 years from now. My parents’ generation, The Greatest Generation, lived amid polio, a horrifying contagious disease that attacked children, and lived through the Great Depression and World War II. Talk about anxiety-inducing and uncertain! And yet this generation on the whole grew up to create a society of enormous prosperity and were able to enjoy decades of relatively safe and comfortable life. Whenever I start to feel “woe is me” feelings, and that things are irretrievably down the drain, I’ll return to these reflections.

Third, while I was walking, I came upon this:

It really made me feel good. And I’m sure that’s what the children were shooting for when they drew it. Three or four weeks ago I wouldn’t have even noticed it. If I can enjoy simple pleasures like this now, then all is not lost. More importantly, if children can create things like this, with smiling souls pointing upward, then perhaps much less has been lost than we think. That’s my hope and prayer.