I doubt very few of us marked the day COVID restrictions began. For those of us in California, our quarantine/lockdown/restrictions started on March 19th, 2020. By early April, even the most conservative states enacted some form of restrictions. No one knew this was coming, knew how long it would last, or what the lasting effects will be. In my opinion, and despite the national tendency to be cynical, I think we did a well as we’re capable of doing. Yes, I believe President Trump could’ve been a better leader. It’s hard to say how many lives his divisive leadership cost, but I think he did as well as Trump could do. He did the right thing by forcing through the vaccine.

I’ve thought a lot about what COVID changes will remain. We were given a brief glimpse into a different life- a coronavirus blessing. Young dads had the opportunity to see what they missed by being away from their families while being productive as workers. Commuters discovered the blessing of more time. And e-commerce thrived.

We need to give ourselves more credit for how we adapted to a tough situation. We made it. In the face of everything that happened in the last 15 months, we are still standing. You wanna know what sucks? No one is celebrating. We’re too busy trying to one-up our political enemies. Not me. Not today. I’m taking part of my day to remember all the people- around the f*cking globe- who suffered and lost. I will celebrate those who made it through. And, I’ll pray for the people in countries still ravaged by the virus.

June 15h, 2021, is a day I’ll remember, and cry, and celebrate.