A Reflection…
This week’s Mayor’s Update takes a slight turn as I reflect on a year living with the pandemic. It's hard to believe that a year has passed since this pandemic turned from a surprise to a way of life. First, we all scrambled, not knowing what the truth looked like, then we learned to find the medical and government experts' answers. Masks, cleansers, and toilet paper shortages were eventually replaced with a shift to virtual meetings, wearing masks, washing our hands, and getting better at understanding epidemiological data and public health guidance. We also have learned to carry on, most of us, in the face of a staggering, soul-crushing death toll that has exceeded 515,800 and counting, which includes our parents, friends, neighbors --- too many to list here.
As this pandemic continues, we are now in a better place where vaccines are now being distributed to more people in our community. We can lift our heads and piece together from our different vantage points the past year's experiences and meaning.
This one-year anniversary is prompting many people to take stock. When I lost my beloved father and a cherished friend to COVID-19 in April, I realized up close and in person how sad it is for people to die alone and the loneliness created by the lack of communal relationships. And yet, the human spirit marches on, and the story takes a positive turn. Not-for-profit agencies extended themselves beyond precedent to address human needs, front-line health care workers and first responders bore the brunt of the crisis in heroic fashion, volunteers came forward in impressive numbers to assist their neighbors, entrepreneurs adjusted creatively to every obstacle and opportunity, lawn signs, banners, and ribbons displaying pride and determination, birthdays celebrated with sirens and car parades: A wave of civic energy that we are now trying to mobilize permanently. From the very beginning, I was inspired by and proud of the calm and compassion with which the people of Ossining faced adversity and rose to the moment.
Today, we all find ourselves in a place much different from where we began — both better and worse. Better in the sense that the whole infrastructure of virus detection and response is well-established, therapeutic treatments are far more effective, and the sheer psychological shock of mass disruption has worn off. Most importantly, vaccines provide true light at the end of the tunnel. Worse in the sense that so many families are in mourning, so many funerals are still being planned, many businesses and livelihoods have been wrecked, and so many of the divisions and inequalities of American society have been exposed and exacerbated.
We can start to now consider our path forward. Mostly I feel gratitude for the things we all got right together and to continue staying steadfast to living through the rest of this pandemic which is still with us with calm, compassion, and realistic expectations. This week, we received the good news that the new federal administration financial package, which is being delivered this week for state and local relief, will help stabilize some of our finances. We will continue to address longer-term priorities like safe and affordable housing, infrastructure investment, supporting small businesses, creating opportunities for access and equity, police reform, and environmental sustainability.
As individuals, each of us has an opportunity to move on from the past year in different ways and continue to look out for each other. If you have been touched by loss, then I hope the support and love of friends and neighbors have brought healing. If the weight of isolation and uncertainty has been almost too much to bear, then I hope the prospect of a brighter future brings you a renewal of spirit.
