Together Yet Apart:

Collectively fighting to live while we still have a pulse

A billboard seen through the front of my cab warns people to stay at home if sick. Photo by the author.

The Pulse

For nearly four years, I have held the pulse of our nation in my hand while at work. A pulse that spiked a few times a day during the traditional work week amidst grueling traffic and the daily commute; and again on holidays (especially patriotic ones like the Fourth, St. Paddy’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and Super Bowl Sunday); as well as on weekends when people congregate and unwind, often in alcohol infused revelry. The pulse first ticked upward a couple of weeks ago while anxiety and fear crept into our lives with warnings of a quick spreading virus threatening to drastically change how we relate and live.

The pulse then slowed significantly as our way of life became altered with increasing closures due to the rapid spread of the virus. Horror stories were rolling in on news reels from overseas about fast accumulating infection rates and ever-growing death tolls. The pulse almost came to a total standstill last Sunday, as anxiety and worry became supplanted by panic and a hesitant acceptance of our new tenuous reality.

I sat there last Sunday waiting for a beep on the pulse monitor, and a signal that our collective heartbeat was still ticking and alive. In the back of my mind, I knew that it was probably time to heed the warnings and just head home. However, the dire…