Living in coronavirusworld: 9/11/20

 9/11

US Open remembererd

9/11.  The day changed my life. And my understanding of my place in the world. My understanding of creation as resistance. It gave us, for a moment, in our woundedness, a chance to understand what so much of the world has lived and continues to live through. To feel  our connection with the rest of humanity. We chose instead to invade Iraq and start wars that have yet to end. This global pandemic, that has touched and continues to touch all humanity has given us another chance.  What we do with it remains to be seen.

There are no more free buses. 

There will be a $30 fine for anyone not wearing a mask on the bus or subway.

On our walk there are exercise classes in the park.  And a table of old people playing mahjong. 

Domino players on street corners. 

I watch someone filling the neighborhood fridge with prepared meals and fresh produce.

I go to Trinity Lutheran to see my friend Pastor Heidi and pick up a copy of her new book, Sanctuary: Being Christian in the Wake of Trump for review. 

This weeks 5K is Will Run for Coffee.  I do the West Drive of Central Park to Columbus Circle again. A woman folk singer and cajon player. A jazz ensemble in the gazebo by the lake.

Music by the lake

Make my way to the Gate to sit with RL and Joe and Dion. The sun, the coolness of the late afternoon, feels good. Even warm, peaceful. 

Technical issues with ZOOM delay the  start of the Open  Mic. I feel so frustrated, I’m almost ready to pack it in and I’m supposed to  be the host. But we all hang in and make it. And we do make it, as we choose to make our time together every Friday night, a commitment each other, a way to get by, a way to survive. 

In 2001, 9/11 stopped the  US Open for a day or so. The next year, they had a commemorative hat. The Mets wore NYPD and FDNY and other first responder hats in their games. Police were just heroes. Then.  After years of  not allowing it, Major League Baseball permitted both Mets and Yankees to wear first responder hats  in games this year.  Nineteen years have gone by. It is still with us.