Sobering and Staying Sober

Today I am grateful for my health and the promise of a new day. They are true treasures to be honored. 

First, the sobering facts:  The United States recently surpassed 200,000 known COVID-19 deaths. Our global community is closing in on the grim one-million-deaths milestone.

I get a daily "5 Things" email newsletter from CNN. It gives me real news in small doses, which is about the only way I can handle it these days. Here are some clips from yesterday: 

"The virus was compared to the SARS pandemic that killed 774 people in Asia in 2002 and 2003. To put that in perspective, since the first known US Covid-19 death on February 6, an average of more than 858 people have died in the United States from the disease every day -- an entire SARS pandemic every several hours."

"To put it in another perspective, the total US coronavirus death toll is equivalent to one 9/11 attack every day for 66 days. The US coronavirus death toll is more than the number of Americans killed in battle in the five most recent wars combined: the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf War."

"No matter how you do the math, you’re left with truly horrifying figures. But those figures represent so much more. They represent real lives, real people who leave behind devastated families and unfinished legacies. People who, were it not for this virus, would probably still be alive today. No comparison can properly convey such a loss."

(Source: CNN)

Real lives. Real people. You and I. All of us heavily burdened with loss and uncertainty. Some suffering a most significant loss--losing a loved one. Refer back to the opening lines of today's post. Honor today and the dignity of each life you encounter.

With such sobering news, it adds a challenge to staying sober. I cherish and need my recovery connections. Some of our best ways to connect have been lost to us since the pandemic began. And yet, we find a way. We used to find ways to feed our addictions. Now, we go to any lengths to support one another in recovery. There is a way out. 

And there is a way out of the pandemic. We don't fully know it yet, but we do know what we can each do today to take us in the right direction. You do your part. I will do mine.