By Bethany “BST2” Armstrong

There was a storm tonight. A great blistering crash of lightning and thunder and hail. The alarm sounded so sharp that I expected blood to drip from my ears. As I battened down the hatches, I noticed a neighbor outside, calmly putting up Christmas décor. The sky had already turned a sickly greasy grey-black and the only illumination was from the sharp flashes of electricity and the twinkling strings of light strewn about his backyard.

A woman – his wife? – sat on the porch under the cover of the roofs overhang. She strobed into visibility when the lightning zipped. Every few seconds, her scowl, permed white hair, and a pastel-shaded track suit flashed into being while her husband puttered in the yard, oblivious to the storm, the woman, and the strangeness of this moment in time.

I feel you, strange old man, caught in the grip of “if we just pretend everything is fine… maybe… just maybe…. It will be.”

Everything is fine. I just found out my Dad has cancer of the larynx. Go to work. Eat food. Expel waste. Everything is fine.

Everything is fine. My student tested positive for COVID-19. I’m quarantined. Teaching virtually. Everything is fine.

Everything is fine. The schools are open. They are taking all necessary precautions, they assure us. Everything is fine.

Everything is fine. A vaccine will come soon. Maybe not soon enough for some, but soon enough for us. Hang up those Christmas decorations Hubert! Everything is fine.

Everything is fine. One of my children is immuno-compromised. That means distance learning and potential failure for my other children. Education is important. Everything is fine.

Everything is fine. My son’s principal has taken to bullying me to get him to return to in person learning. He pretends it is for my son’s benefit. Everything is fine.

Everything is fine. We’re harassing children to behave like normal when the world is anything but normal. We say it’s good for their development. We know it’s just a form of childcare so essential workers can get back to producing and consuming. Everything is fine.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! AAAHHHH!!!! Everything is fine.

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