Photo: L. Weikel

Disconnected

I’m feeling a bit disconnected from Easter this year. I don’t like admitting that, even if it’s normal and to be expected under the circumstances. It feels almost sacrilegious, or like a betrayal of myself.

Why such a harsh indictment of my feelings?

Partly, I suspect, because I was born on Easter Sunday. So for me to feel disconnected from Easter, which has always been one of my favorite holidays (especially since I have a unique and quite intimate relationship with The Rabbit), it’s a sign that things are not right with the world.

Easter represents a lot of my favorite concepts: rebirth, springtime, fresh starts, growth, new life, starting over, sunshine, baby animals, hope, optimism. OK. Just creating that list made me smile a little more and remember my roots. I love this time of year.

No Easter Eggs

Karl and I didn’t color eggs this year. It’s only the two of us here at home, as I suspect is true with a lot of you. It’s kind of weird to think that you shouldn’t even have an Easter egg hunt with your own grandkids or whatever (if they don’t live with you), since, technically, the virus could be spread between people simply by touching the eggs. And good grief, the last thing anyone wants is to sicken a loved one.

It’s the little things, isn’t it? Losing our ability to connect with small gestures. To reach out and touch someone’s arm or give a quick hug. To hide an Easter egg and not feel as though you’re potentially hiding a live grenade?

A Meandering Post

I fear my post this evening has been an exercise akin to hopping down the bunny trail – sort of zig zagging from one subject to another without any apparent coherence.

As sad as any of you feel, too, because you can’t engage in those huge little gestures of love and connection, the solace we can take is in how much more we will appreciate them when we can once again reclaim those means of expression. Perhaps lots of people will realize they no longer want to be as disconnected as they used to crave being.

Who knows? Possibly those of us who are huggers will no longer feel ashamed for being who we are, for our ability to convey with a silent connection, heart-to-heart, more than a million words could ever say.

I am one of those. And I am sending each and every one of you a hug and a smile. A hug to say, “Hang in there. We can do this. We’re only physically distancing, not emotionally or spiritually distancing.” And a smile to say, “I love you.”

Photo: L. Weikel

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