What have you learned?

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Bill Gates: "The Corona Virus... is sent to remind us of the important lessons that we seem to have forgotten and it is up to us if we will learn them or not." https://t.co/PZRipu7810 via @artofquotation

— Johnny Mendoza Govea (@JohnnyInJapan) March 25, 2020

This is the last day of my very, very short spring vacation. It is nearly a full month since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic attack on the entire world forced the Japanese government to shut down schools. The blossoms of cherry trees have just begun to bloom in our area and the cool air turns warm in afternoons and cold in the early mornings these days.

I read the above article by Bill Gates about what this break in the routine for all humanity ought to mean for our future and how we focus our life energy. I agree that it seems to be a way for Mother Nature to show us how to reset our priorities, starting with taking more care of our families, our homes, our diets and our life styles. Since Lilica has returned to school for her ending ceremony of the third term today, we are planning on making the best of it. Maybe we'll do another indoor "flower watching" party with various handmade decorations. This whole time has been about "we'll see," with a positive perspective, and so that's the spirit that we must have to approach everything from now on.

I pray for those afflicted with this illness and other related complications. My thoughts are with how their lives and our lives are all connected, enmeshed in the vibrant web of life. When a vaccine is finally made (probably within 18 months, it will probably be after the virus has peaked and is on the decline. In the meantime, we must do what we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones by using basic common sense procedures like washing our hands, gargling, using masks when necessary and keeping a social distance. But let's not forget how to be considerate toward others, to continue to nurture our relationships within these new health guidelines, nor to reconnect with our purpose here on this Earth.

We are all in this together and we must honor that delicate balance between human beings and all other living things as they settle into a new form. When the dust clears, we will see what we must do in order to survive and flourish again as a part of the beams of light that stream from the consciousness that is the Sun. OMATEOTL ("All my relations.")