Standing in line to buy grapefruit, lettuce and vegetables at a tiny east side market, I am at a mental crossroads of: sick of all this trouble, and I am alive and well.

I reluctantly turn onto I am alive and well street and feel the sun, the breeze... a car stops at the light playing a beautiful song sung in Spanish... birds land on a great old theater sign from the 1930’s.. my fellow shoppers wear masks, keep their distances respectfully, and I realize gratitude has just pushed back the political/pandemic fatigue and given me a ladder to climb up so that I can a catch a glimpse of times beyond these... not back to normal or back to anything, but forward to what we can lovingly make out of all this.

Though anger is a powerful force, I’m in awe of the deep movements of simple gratitude.. and I’m not going to underestimate it’s ability to get us through all this. Happy Sunday.