I feel sad.
Feeling sad is normal in the midst of a global pandemic. Actually, if I felt happy, that would be cause for concern. These are hard times with personal, national and global losses.
I have tried to maintain my excitement for this project.
I do not feel excited. I feel sad. Usually excitement fuels my projects and I spend countless hours working on every detail to make them as perfect as possible. But nothing is perfect right now. Perfect is not the goal.
Authenticity is the goal. To that end I have re-crafted In Search of the Great America to fit our new paradigm.
The outbreak of COVID19 has shaken our national identity. As a nation and a people, we have rearranged every aspect of our lives through self-quarantine, social distancing and obsessive hand washing. Questions of personal safety, community preparedness, government oversight, and national responsibility have come to forefront. In this unprecedented time of fear and uncertainty, who are we as a nation? Who do we want to be?
Instead of trying to act happy, let’s tap into this sadness and grief. This is a great time to think about national identity. We can mourn what was and all we’ve lost personally, nationally and globally. Then let us collectively vision a world we’d like to live in.
This gives me hope and renewed energy to go forward with this project.
-Laura
In Search of the Great America 