Recalibrate
Uncertainty & Ambiguity
The skies are quiet after what seemed to be a traditional July 4th. The crowds jubilant, standing shoulder to shoulder looking skyward -- ebullient. It all seemed “normal” but, wait: if you are living in one of the 20 states with vaxx rate of 70% do you really believe that we are post-Covid? Probably not.
We are no longer at the beginning, and we also know that we are not at the end: we are calculating, calculating, calculating. Trepidation. No terra firma. All that we can do is approximate our position. Ambiguity has wiped out certainty and we resort to being cautiously optimistic poised to change course, again, when necessary.
And we wait and watch: The virus is surging, again, in New Zealand, Australia and in London. Mask off? Mask on? Go out? Stay home? We see the devastation caused by the Delta variant in India and the rows of graves in Brazil, but unless we follow the BBC, CTV, or Aljazeera we are blinded to the collapsing health systems and the fate of millions who do not have access to vaccine. But how do we stay current? Without these sources, we fail to see those countries—not individuals—are turning down shipments of vaccines. There is a panoply of reasons: fear, denial, hesitancy (a new term) mistrust, anti-vaxxer or “I’ll take my chances with Covid”. These sentiments are not only prevalent in the US we share them with communities around the Globe.
We are in motion. Covid is in motion. We recalibrate, adjust as we go. Ever watchful we are alert and modify our behavior. It reminds me of the voice on my GPS: calculating, calculating. We are creating a new route to a world where Covid will be an illness that we live with—not die because of it. Covid will be a component in our new reality.
Don’t worry—this blog isn’t all doom and gloom. I have a few tips and the first tip is the most important:
1. Accept that we are NOT post Covid. Our new reality is that we are in a process of discovery; we are learning how to live with Covid.
2. Plan to not get Covid. Avoid people, places, or activities where you could be infected by this airborne disease.
3. Recalibrate: Update your plan based on certified data from the trusted sources in your community, state/country. Don’t ignore the data that is contrary to what you already know or have experienced. The past is interesting but it is not “the” future.
4. Live now: Hold sacred the fact that if you are vaccinated and contract the virus, you will get sick, but it is unlikely that you will die. Enjoy your life now with optimism and caution .
We are living in a swirl of uncertainty, ambiguity, and unprecedented change. Don’t dismiss the good things that happened to you in the last 18 months: the lessons learned, decisions made and your newfound clarity of purpose. When we appreciate the good it is easier to accept the reality: there is no going back, our destiny includes the coronavirus disease. Resistance is futile. Expecting a different future, folly.
Follow the data, recalibrate, and go!