Can You Be Happy During a Pandemic?

The answer is, seriously, why not?

Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash

I woke this morning grateful for a good night’s sleep, excited to go downstairs, put on the coffee and get my day going.

Then I remembered

Then I remembered the corona virus and all it’s implications: death and sickness, no work or money coming in, shortages in the stores, no hugs from my grandchildren or fun gatherings with friends. Cancellations and closings and restrictions. Uncertainty. More uncertainty than I’ve ever known in my seventy plus years.

Well, I said to myself, so what! I can still get the coffee going and do all my little morning routines. I can wake my husband and we will enjoy watching whatever kind of sunrise surprises us today. There are things to look for, things to savor. Just the quietness of the morning and the prospect of a new day full of possibilities. Limited and restricted possibilities, surely. Maybe it will be ok.

Well, I said to myself, so what!

I do tend to be perennially optimistic, an attitude I got from my cheerful mother. I consider it an asset. It helps to self-correct my occasional spirals into depression. I try not to be too annoying and Pollyanna-like when others feel…