June 26, 2020
“The future ain’t what it used to be” – Yogi Berra
The trouble and difficulties we are presently enduring, as a community, nation, and world, will eventually end and we will be on our way to a future that looks different than we expected it to look like just a few months ago.
Showing patience, toughness, and endurance is helping us get past the pain and unhappiness we all are facing to create a brighter future for our communities, families, and ourselves. The future will most likely look different than expected as not only we are in the middle of a pandemic, but now a civil rights crisis that turned everybody’s lives upside down.
As we look forward to “life after the Coronavirus Pandemic,” we recognize that history shows pandemics having both societal and policy effects. Life is full of happiness as well as unhappiness, pleasure and pain. It is up to us to find the meaning from the current pain we feel and apply the lessons we learn to our future.
We realize that cognitive dissonance can arise from the contrast of amazing technological advances, as demonstrated by the first launch of US Astronaut on a commercially owned space vehicle and the speed with which a vaccine is being developed for a novel pathogen, with the age-old issues of fighting the public health crisis arising from the spread of infectious disease as well as those of civil rights, all in a limited timespan is a lot to process and can create a hostile, stressful environment filled with fear and confusion interspersed occasionally with bright slivers of hope. During this unprecedented time, we must rise and continue to be the best version of ourselves to ensure a brighter future. We have seen incredible advances in technology and knowledge in the world. Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change and apply it to our daily lives. It is hard to process everything going on in the world around us, happening all at the same time. No one knows when it will end, but if we preserve and apply the lessons we have learned and educate others around us, it will lead to bright new beginnings and a brighter future.
“New Beginnings”
Each chapter this is ending
Leads us to a new beginning
The past that we are leaving
Means a future we are winning
Each change that fills the present
Sets the stage four our tomorrow
And how we meet each challenge
Helps determine joy or sorrow
In every new beginning, spirit plays a vital part
We must approach tomorrow
With a strong and steady heart
So, as we turn the corner
Let us all apprehension shed
And fill our heart with confidence
As we proceed aheah
–Bruce B. Wilmer (1978)
Submitted by Cora Butler,JD,RN,CHC
VITALIA® communities in the Cleveland and Akron regions of Ohio offer senior villas, independent senior apartments, assisted living and memory care with a variety of services and a range of floor plan options. Amenities include restaurant dining, concierge service, housekeeping, events and entertainment, personal care, transportation services, and more. Visit our locations page to find a VITALIA® community near you!
VITALIA® Rockside
6100 Lombardo Center South
Seven Hills, OH 44131
(216) 750-5147
Arrow Senior Living serves and employs individuals of all faiths, regardless of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age or handicap, except as limited by state and federal law