2020 

Wow, what a year it's been, and it's only half of the way through. Perhaps, 2020 was a 20/20. The world had to experience a truly rare event, the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes this different from other epidemics is that it directly affected every person on the face of this Earth. Our daily lives changed, regardless of who or where we were. After we fully recover, and we will recover, we need to look back and identify the things we did right and wrong.

But we seem to be having trouble getting back to "normal." Not sure if it's fear or just simply inertia, but it seems like there's hesitation to going back to life as it was before COVID-19. You do remember what that was like, don't you? Don't let the pros of this shelter in place/lockdown hypnotize you—like the lack of traffic, stimulus checks, and not paying bills or rent. It's been more than two months now. We need to reconnect to the rest of the world and get back to normal—and both the good and bad that comes with it. Those who disagree can continue to isolate themselves and practice distancing—that's your prerogative. But, please, don't force it on the rest of us. Lastly, if you really think about it, social distancing is an oxymoron.

Charles Bird

Los Osos