Pandemic lessons from "We're Going on a Bear Hunt"

We're going through a tough year. 
We're going to remember this one.  
What a crazy time!
Make it end. 

Uh-uh!
COVID!
Life-altering COVID.
We can't go over it.
We can't go under it. 

Oh no!
We've got to go through it. 

This rendition of "We're Going on a Bear Hunt!" abruptly halted by my inability to find the right onomatopoeia to accurately express COVID, as well as my urge to use onomatopoeia in a sentence. 

I also stopped because that's it. That's the bottom line: we have to go through it. I prefer this language over "we have to get through it." Subtle, two letter difference, but possibly a complete shift in mindset. At least it is for me. To "get through" conjures an image of someone with their head down choosing to stare at the ground. Time, people and feelings pass them without an upward glance. The focus is on getting to the other side. To "go through" means to experience it, to live life and to feel the moments along the way.  

Costumed kids applying makeup to prom-dress-wearing mom. Camping in 30 mile an hour winds  Haircuts by mom. Campfire mac-n-cheese by dad. Sprinkler runs. Sand on the floor mats. My first baby becoming a kindergartner. My little girl growing into a new size and then into another. Moments (more than one) when I thought I lost my mom. Strong hugs from my brother that transported me back to losing my dad. Wearing a mask. Reporting the numbers. Reporting the names. Saying the names. Watching people fed up. Looking inward. Growing. Child-sized fingers picking garden vegetables. Sun-kissed cheeks stretched in a smile. More. More. So many more. 

Some moments I want to remember and cherish forever, some I've already forgotten and others I wish never happened, but isn't that life? 2020 has reminded me, many times, we only have so much time on this earth, we might as well live it. 

Don't get me wrong, if you never want to live through another pandemic, that's okay, too. You may recall, the bear hunt people turned around, ran and hid under the covers. But whether you want to hoot or hiss, I'm here to say, you've got this. 

We've got to go through it.