Pandemic perspective

I‘ve been feeling stressed today due to the uncertainty of what the coming months may bring, concerns about my family, and the worsening COVID situation in Prague. 2020 is turning out to be Murphy’s Year. In fact, the other day my uncle informed us that London Bridge is literally falling down. This would certainly be the year for it to happen, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to boot.

Then I passed a display my uncle keeps in his hallway of my grandfather’s war medals, including two Burma Stars and two UK Defence Medals. My grandfather and his unit had to trek through the jungle and over the mountains into India (now Pakistan) while his hometown of Rangoon was being bombed by the Japanese. It took them three months.

I don’t mean to belittle anyone else’s problems, because a lot of people are really struggling right now. But if my grandfather could face famine, disease, and monsoons in the jungles of Burma – while getting shot at – perhaps I can handle a little uncertainty.