Bruni

From Frank Bruni of the New York Times in his mid-week newsletter:

As we mark the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s classification of Covid-19 as a pandemic, many of us are taking stock of what has changed in the country and in each of us. Just a few words about that:

If we’re among the people wondering largely about how our emotions, philosophies and priorities have shifted, we’re extraordinarily lucky — and should take a long pause to appreciate that. The pandemic cost hundreds of thousands of Americans their lives. It financially devastated millions more. Many people said goodbye to friends and family members who were at the very centers of their worlds. Many were forced to shut down businesses that were the hard-fought realizations of long-held dreams.

And it happened in a flash.

That’s part of what I take away from this past year: a much, much deeper understanding of how fickle fate can be and how quickly the tide can turn. I come to this anniversary humbled in that sense.

And I come to this anniversary grateful. While the past 12 months have brought me some sadness, much anger and considerable fear, they have left me with my home, my family, my curiosity and my ability to spot and savor joy when it’s right in front of me, its ears cocked and its whiskers twitching under the twinkling lights of a city that never sleeps and a sky that never ends.

I love Bruni’s writing.

Here’s my little ears-cocked creature:

With a stuffed today. Look at that tail.