Spring is here. Last year spring was not very joyful. We were all entering a lockdown, having no idea how long it would last, having no idea how it would impact all of us, having no idea how many people would die in the coming year.

This year there is hope. We have vaccines that are making a difference. The rate of infections is dropping. The rate of hospitalizations is dropping. And most importantly, the rate of deaths is dropping. We are having days that are full of sunshine. Even baseball is coming back.

It is a normal human reaction to jump in with both feet, but I want to caution all of us to move a bit more slowly. This goes against our desires and our instincts. We so want to reach out and hug those that we love. We want connections that are not facilitated by a screen, but real humans, face to face! We want to be able to have our old lives back!

It is hard to go slowly. It is hard to go step by step. Even when we can see the reason for it, we want to go full tilt. It is human. It is understandable. So, when we are so close to getting what we want, the question then becomes what do we need in order to tolerate slower steps? For all of us, that answer is different. Think about for you, what helps you? Schedule plans for a month or two out? Begin to go outside? Read the science and make your decisions based on what we know today?

We are so close. My wish for you is to all stay healthy. Continue to make healthy choices. We will get there. Before you know it, we can all do one gigantic group hug.  But most of all, stay healthy!