REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS : FROM DAWN TO DAYLIGHT AUTHOR Teresita Bacani-Oropilla , MD
There is something about a dawn
that awakens not only one ’ s senses but also one ’ s spirit . While in an airplane droning in the darkness for 13 hours , suddenly on the horizon appears a line of light that gradually bursts into a kaleidoscope of reds , oranges and yellows that brightens the clouds below ! One surmises that the destination is near at hand : at daybreak , they had promised .
When a young teen ’ s duty during the World War II years included transferring the family carabao from one grassy lot to another before the workday begins , the sun rising above the distant mountains is a wondrous natural fireworks display without the noise !
When one mopes in bed after an uncomfortable night of sleep , the first light peeping through the window blinds announce that a new day , maybe a much better day has begun . So , rise ! And shine !
Today is the dawn of the day after the Super Bowl LV Sunday in the age of COVID-19 . Enthusiastic people , with and without social distancing and masks , made it to Tampa , Florida and filled a fourth of a stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Friends and families gathered in homes , restaurants and bars to watch the match on electronic devices . No one could put their spirits down ! ( Well , not referring to the distilled kind , but the real spirit ).
Also of note is the fact that after a period of controversial isolations , contested closures of travel and businesses great and small , at the risk of getting ill or being punished , people have found ways to solve their problems or differences .
As of today , families have managed to visit loved ones through windows in nursing homes , they on the outside , the visited ones inside . Many parents have opted to send their children to open schools . Vaccinations are on the rise despite misgivings of others . Hit or miss , entrepreneurs have tried to hang on , or revitalize their means of livelihood and those they employed . People make sacrifices . A grandmother attended her granddaughter ’ s wedding and agreed to 15 days isolation when she returned to her assisted living facility .
Families and friends of the dead go in shifts at funeral homes where their loved ones lie – 12 people to a shift . Newborns are presented to grandparents thru windows , balconies or FaceTime .
Love continues to prevail and like a magnet , nothing comes between lovers . People will always find ways to be present to the beloved .
Thus far we have lived at the dawn of a new day . How and when will we burst forth to enjoy full daylight ?
Rise ! And shine ? Dr . Bacani-Oropilla is a retired pediatrician and child psychiatrist .
MARCH 2021 27