P is for pandemic. It’s also for Phase 3.
As we move into the penultimate COVID-19 recovery phase The Interior News is feeling cautiously optimistic. Over the last three-and-a-half months we’ve had our significant share of downs, from the great toilet paper shortage of late-March 2020 to that week when we were all worried about murder hornets, but we’ve also learned a great many things.
We’ve learned that we are resilient: in the face of crises the masses came together to sew masks, not horde them.
We’ve learned that we are kind: when most businesses were closed and the future uncertain, we plastered hearts to our windows as opposed to letting our own become cold.
We’ve learned that we are flawed: as our hair grew long, we became at ease with our obsession with social conventions.
We’ve learned that we are adventurous: when the restaurants closed, we ventured into the brush to find our own meals.
We’ve learned that we are caring: when we didn’t hear from our neighbours, we knocked on their doors.
We’ve learned that we are cooks: when we ran out of yeast we made sourdough.
We’ve learned that we are teachers: when our schools shut down, parents became educators and students became children.
We’ve learned that we are artists: when the galleries closed we sung, painted and created our own masterpieces.
The world is opening up — it has to. But as one door (and it is a very large door) opens and we wade back into our material jungle, we here are hoping you don’t let the ones you discovered over the last months close.
Let the gift from this pandemic be the secrets about yourself you were too busy to notice before slowing down and stopping to smell the haskaps.
See you at the movies.