Blessings

Today is Easter, and a Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

Easter, being a spring holiday in the U.S., is tied up for many people with the things that make spring wonderful: new beginnings, hopefulness, and a kind of cleansing of the mind and spirit. Even if people don't celebrate the religious aspects of Easter, many of them see the day as a reason to celebrate life.

That's a little harder to do this year, given the situation that so many of us find ourselves in.

I'm coping by counting my blessings. I and my family have remained healthy. I live in a town and a neighborhood full of caring people, who encourage one another and make sure to stay away from one another. (Someone from the neighborhood dressed as the Easter Bunny yesterday, and drove through the neighborhood so kids could see him/her, which was a very nice thing to do.)

My kids are home, and we're finding ways to stay busy, stay out of each other's way, and still stay supportive. I am able to work from home, which is a blessing in many ways, despite its difficulties.

The daffodils are at their peak, and when my wife and I take our early morning walks, we see them throughout the neighborhood, waking up and turning toward the sun.

Yesterday, we saw that the the small asparagus patch we planted last summer has come back to life, with a few purple stalks poking through the soil. Hard to describe how much joy that brought us. I prefer daffodils as a sign of hope, but asparagus works, too.

I can't say everything has been amazing. I wish I could tell you that my mental and emotional health has been perfect, but that's just not true. I almost always end up with bad allergies this time of year, with a trip to the doctor's office to tend to my bronchitis. Given the nature of Covid-19, every cough and wheeze, itchy eye rub, and strange back ache (from bending over my work computer) sends me into a small panic. And even if I convince myself that it's just allergies, I worry about the effect of my tired lungs.

Still, I remain hopeful, and I look for signs of hope all around me.

This week, Blood-Cancer.com published a piece I wrote called "Staying Hopeful vs. Staying Positive." It describes my attitude. I don't like the idea of staying positive, even though I'm a pretty positive person. I think staying positive sometimes denies the bad things and looks only at the good. I'd rather stay hopeful, because hope recognizes that things might be bad now, but there's a chance they'll get better.

So that's where I am. I know there's bad stuff. I can't ignore it. But I can focus on the good things, and wish for more of them.

And I hope that's where all of you are now -- staying healthy in the middle of a difficult time, looking around you to find things to be hopeful about. Maybe some daffodils. Maybe some asparagus. Maybe your faith. Maybe just the start of a new day.

Take care everyone. Stay hopeful.