The Lion in the Clouds

 Hola!  I just had to take a little bit of time out of these incredibly busy days to post this photograph I saw in an article by one grandmother who will NOT be attending a family get-together Thanksgiving dinner this year out of fear of COVID-19.  One of her granddaughters assured her that they will be together soon, one day.

This photograph of what I call "The Lion in the Clouds" came from this opinion article in the New York Times on November 19, 2020.  It was captioned "Alvaro Dominguez; photographs by Getty Images."  Is it real?  Is it fake?  I don't know.  I just thought it was beautiful and as I'm a Leo, born under the astrological sign of the Lion, it holds special meaning for me.

What child - and any adult whose inner child is still alive and kicking and talking to you constantly - has not looked at the clouds and seen all sorts of things in them?  I've seen individual horses and  galloping herds of horses.  I've seen grand figures that I call "Angels" playing what appears to be trumpets.  I've seen buffalo, and an alligator, and ships with masts from the old days.  I've also seen lots and lots of "faces" or what might be faces, with a little imagination :)

He's so beautiful!  And to me, Leo the Lion symbolizes hope.  And indeed, we have reasons to have hope for our future, not too far off, although it seems every day is like a thousand years, sometimes.  Today Pfizer applied for an emergency approval to release it's COVID-19 vaccine which completed trials have shown is between 94-95% effective.  Not far behind is a vaccine from Moderna.  And other vaccines are on the horizon.

If Pfizer's vaccine is approved, there are hurdles that will need to be overcome to properly distribute it across the country, including capability to maintain subzero temperatures to keep the vaccine viable for extended periods of time.  Distribution will go first to medical personnel and first responders, which is only right.  These are our modern-day heroines and heroes, who have worked endlessly throughout the past nine months and counting to treat and save as many Americans from COVID-19 as possible.  Next will be people like me, above age 65 (when the hell did that happen?) and with threatening underlying health conditions.  But before I go for a vaccination, I want to make sure my siblings who are over age 65 get theirs first.  As the oldest in the family, that's my responsibility.  

So, hang on tight.  We're all tired of this, we're all exhausted and want to get back to normal.  But wishing won't make it so.  We have to continue to keep ourselves safe, so that those with whom we come into contact with will be safe, too.  Six months - I know it sounds like a lifetime right now but trust me, from my viewpoint it's a couple blinks of my eyes.  Hang in there, stay safe.  Keep your loved ones and friends safe.  That means no Thanksgiving other than virtual and only celebrating with those who live with you.  I live by myself so I'll be doing virtual Thanksgiving this year.  No Christmas family luncheon at Meyer's Restaurant this year.  But how much sweeter it will be in 2021 to be able to have these gatherings once again.

Keep your eyes on the prize, people.  Eyes on the prize.  And look into the clouds and find your Lion.