For a lot of us — and I mean A LOT OF US — November 3 can’t come soon enough. In some ways, the date feels like the breaking point of a months-long (years-long?) fever. For many, that timeframe included an actual fever in the form of COVID-19. For so many more, the fever was metaphorical, but no less real and painful.

Let’s see . . .

Pandemic
Civil unrest
Collapsing economy
Working from home
Schooling from home
Bills, bills, bills
No toilet paper
Social isolation
Fires
Hurricanes
Caring for sick and/or elderly loved ones
A deep, pervading, frequently nauseating sense of uncertainty about the future

Did I miss anything? I can’t see how I didn’t. The point is, we’re experiencing a generation-defining moment — a time that will be talked about for decades to come, assuming that the planet doesn’t combust before then.

As the heat is being turned up, it’s more critical than ever to remain civil with one another. We must locate our essential humanness and let empathy be our guide. We’re all in this mess together, and we WILL make it out the other side. Until then — and it might be a while before “then” — pause, take a breath, and think before you speak.