United States of America. May 22nd.

I went to Farmers Market today—and suddenly 30-50% of everyone wasn’t wearing masks. It was the first day I’ve seen such—the Market announced it’s optional. And as we’re all outside, there, it felt…fun, safe, new, awkward, exciting, yay! We’re back!

The CDC has announced that if you’re vaccinated, you’re good to take off the mask unless asked by a private business to keep it on, or when on public transport, etc.

The CDC has announced that surfaces are not a means of transmitting the virus. So stop packaging everything in plastic, please (just about everything at the Farmers Market is plasticized, now).

And if you’re not vaccinated by now, you’re either taking your time, or against it—either way, at this point, that’s on you (provided you do have access, which not all Americans do).

So this looks to be an exciting summer—a summer of community, of supporting local not Amazon (please), of appreciation for all those small gifts we’ve lived without, of adventure, of exercise, of sex (we haven’t seen each other, for a year—human beings! Hormones! Faces! Bodies! Partytime!)

And I emerge from this year with a gift of having been able to work at home, safely. Of going for walks with friends, distanced. Of falling in love, and living with a dear human, and asking her to marry me.

We all emerge with hard lessons, with small joys (hopefully), with speed and hunger. Please offset your flights. Please try going vegan, so we don’t have future pandemics (that banana split—vegan).

We only have a few years to save our earth from ourselves, for our children.

Let us emerge like butterflies, from the cocoon.

I can’t wait. And we no longer have to.

In comments, please offer one lesson or wish, the more specific the better, for our pandemic and post-pandemic transition.