I am beginning to think the decade of the 2020s may be among the most dreadful in my life. In fact, it is really horrible so far and it might rival the 1940s as among the worst in modern times. First we had a pandemic where we were stuck at home and couldn’t see family or friends. We couldn’t travel or eat indoors at any restaurants. Worst of all, family, friends and acquaintances were hospitalized and some even died from Covid-19. This pandemic has snatched more than 6 million souls worldwide and it is far from finished.
Then in 2021, once it looked like we had finally turned a corner with the Delta variant of Covid, along came Omicron, and way more people got sick with it all around the world. Luckily, this variant was milder in most cases than Delta. Even so, people continue to die or get long Covid with all kinds of terrible long-term problems with their heart, lungs, kidneys and other vital organs.
If we weren’t among the dead or those with long Covid, some of us became hopeful again in 2022 when the number of new Covid cases started dropping in many countries, including the US and Spain. I think I even mistakenly started using the expression, ‘We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” with a few people. Ha! It was just about this time when the Russian Army invaded Ukraine and life went downhill fast. And the pandemic wasn’t really over anyway! Also, I haven’t even talked about the scientific predictions about what will happen to our planet in the coming years because of climate change. This, too, is extremely scary.
In any case, the disturbing and unprovoked attack on Ukraine by the Russian Army last week and Vladimir Putin’s subsequent ordering of his nuclear forces to “special alert” brought back sad and scary memories of junior high school where we had drills to “duck and cover” under our desks. I always suspected that if the Chicagoland area was hit by a nuclear bomb, hiding under our desks wouldn’t save us. But we all pretended it would make a difference.
Probably like many of you, I am again thinking about the possibility of nuclear attack in Europe, where my husband and I live, or in the United States, where other family members reside. It’s a terrifying thought. But it won’t go away. For example, I listen more carefully now to helicopters or planes overhead out of fear of the unthinkable.
How are we supposed to live like this? Perhaps it is best to take our inspiration from the Ukrainian people and especially their brave leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Bombs drop indiscriminately on their neighborhoods and yet rather than flee, many citizens have chosen to stay behind to flight, and in some cases, die for their country. Here is the story of one such brave Ukrainian man named Vitaly Skakun.
While doomscrolling on Twitter, I sometimes cross across posts that make me smile. Here is one such example. It is a TikTok video of a Ukrainian woman explaining how to operate a Russian military vehicle.
Even though this decade feels like it has gotten off to a really dreadful start for our world, I am going to try to remain hopeful about our future and I hope you will too. Sometimes you just have to stand up to evil regardless of the personal cost. And if enough of us do that, maybe good really will triumph in the end.
Remember to pray for peace and pray for the brave people of Ukraine.
US Author Nancy Klein in Spain 
A very trying time. It seems that every generation has at least one difficult time. Our parents had the Depression and WW2.
Hubby
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The duck and cover under your desk was a joke. We have to remain positive. We enjoyed meeting you both.
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Thanks. Yes, we enjoyed meeting you both too. Looking forward to seeing you in Spain again someday!
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