Virus impact lingers, but it won't last

At the risk of blaming all life’s ills on a well-worn target — COVID-19 — it’s impossible not to see the aftershocks still rattling everybody’s cages.

While the virus and its variants are still wreaking havoc aplenty, the worst appears to be over. Yet many an apple cart is still being overturned, and the sweet fruits are bruised or flattened.

We’re not out of this mess yet.

Consider:

• The Press has learned about a local phenomenon that we’re willing to bet isn’t just local. The area’s mental health counselors have their hands, and their schedule books, full. Other than crisis phone lines, people staggering under the weight of their worries are having trouble finding someone to talk to. As a result of isolation, many souls turned to social media for their life-sustaining communication lines, and we know how that turns out.

• When our routines are disrupted or destroyed, when fear takes a firmer grip on our perceptions, when what we always took for granted is jerked away, our long-term decision-making process can spring serious leaks. Drowning in that fear and subsequent poor decisions can result.

Remember:

• Life is a balancing act. When we swing too far in one direction — look at the state of politics today — inevitably, the scale comes back into some form of alignment. The process can be dizzying but rarely is it fatal.

• We might be politically divided to the breaking point right now, but when it comes right down to it, locals are astonishing in their willingness to reach out and help one another despite any differences. Let your need be known and you’ll soon hear cavalry hooves approaching.

• When feeling overwhelmed, depressed or angry — all are understandable to the point of being commonplace these days — take a deep breath and tell yourself, This too shall pass.

Summer has sprung, and not a moment too soon.