Go play outside.

Since March, we’ve been dealing with Covid. People were to be contacted from a safe distance, and smiles and frowns were to remain hidden behind masks as we avoided contact with each other. Gradually, this aversion to each other, this wide crawling dread, gave way to the drive of living, and fear became caution, and caution became caring.

Our privileged world has become infected with hatred and reactionism too – diseases we’ve never been able to cure, but which have always been with us. Trump and his racist, xenophobic rhetoric have left a stink in the air, even up here in the supposed great white north.

Now, we wait and watch as strong Pacific ocean winds blow away the acrid smoke from US wildfires, and as the burned-out piers in New West stop smouldering. Today, I’ve seen real blue sky for the first time in weeks, and it gives me hope.

It feels good to be outside, breathing nice-smelling air without a mask, and to know that our air quality is almost back to normal.

Come November, we’ll still be dealing with Corona, but we’ll already be used to the protocols and will have gotten over the worst of the the panic and frustration. We just need to ride this out together and keep calm and carry on.

Come November, I hope we will also see a strong wind of change in the south that helps to bring hopefulness and peace.