My grandmother would store wads of cash in her box springs because, as a child of the Great Depression, she couldn’t trust the banks. I see my children now worried about being indoors without masks. My six-year old isn’t able to feel fully comfortable eating inside a restaurant, even one with open-air ventilation, social distancing, and reduced occupancy. I suspect she’s not alone. The traumas we experience together can linger with us longer than we think.
COVID isn’t going away. It’s endemic and will remain with us. So, we should be intentional about trusting our vaccines and our mitigation strategies — while also taking appropriate risks to re-enter normal social settings and engagements.