Independent Together

One of my favorite lines from a movie comes from Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. Hermee is describing a life where he could do what he wants and be who he was made to be - a dentist! I’m going to be independent, he announces, to which Rudolf responds, “let’s be independent, together.” Even as a child I knew that was a funny thing to say. Those two things don’t go together, I thought . . . until recently.

These are strange times we live in. Barren streets, people wearing surgical gloves and masks in the grocery store, and others crossing the street rather than walk closely by someone is still taking some getting used to. The expression, “social distance,” has caused us to shut our doors and pull our shudders as we try to weather this awful storm.

But an interesting thing has happened as well. Just as I’ve had to step back from others, I’ve never felt closer. I wave with delight when I see a neighbor on my walk, I call friends who live in other parts of the country, and I’m praying for people I don’t even know. The virus has made the world smaller and our connection to one another more pronounced. We’ve become “independent together,” and for that I am grateful.