And just like that …it was gone.

The invisible enemy that took all we held dear and left mass destruction in its wake. 

It took a toll.

It took our loved ones. 

It took our energy. 

It took our last collective nerve.

It took our bravest people.

It ground us down to our very core, reshaping us into something new. Something different. Something…stronger.

It tore our systems apart.

Our ways of life.

Our healthcare system.

Our education system. 

Our work structures.

Our finances.

We stopped work. 

We stopped school. 

We stopped consuming. 

We reached out to neighbors. 

We looked to the helpers. 

We became the helpers. 

It changed us. 

We were resourceful.  

We were creative. 

We cooked more. 

We drew. 

We sewed. 

We played again.  

We laughed through pain. 

We rediscovered joy. 

Remembered what’s real.

We were heroic.

We saw our families with fresh eyes. Interacted deeper and more honestly.

And the skies rested. 

And the planet breathed. 

Animals returned.

The factories were still. 

The churning churning burning just…stopped. 

Everything reset. 

We looked at nature as a gift.

We asked, do I need all this stuff? Does it bring me joy? 

We rethought our systems. 

Made them better. 

More just. 

For a moment in time, the entire world paused. 

And it was terrible. 

We suffered. 

We reeled. 

And yet. 

We came together.

Remembered our humanity. 

Met our neighbors. 

Asked for help. 

Were resourceful. 

Were resilient. 

It killed us. But It also rebuilt us.

In the face of death, we remembered how to live.