Today was my mom’s birthday, and what a day it would have been! She would have woken up this morning and taken a deep breath with a sigh of relief that she was not only fine, but in a real position to help people — and then she would have gotten to work.

• She would have reached out to the teacher who is un-learning and re-learning what education means and how it can be accomplished.
• She would have reached out to the audio engineer and musician to see if they needed any help.
• She would have hopped on a video chat with some old friends and studied with them.
• She would have gone for a walk, smelling the fresh flowers now emerging; and enjoying the slight drizzle as an affirmation of life.
• She would have worked on some lesson plans to help people figure out their own spirituality, and test it out on some of her children.
• She would have laughed louder at jokes today than she did the day before.
• She would have reached out to her extrovert friends to give them comfort as they adjust to their new surroundings.
• She would offer people advice on how to work from home; giving ideas to earn additional income if needed.
• She would hire someone struggling to do some work that she likely didn’t need done, just to help.
• She would have texted with parents (single and not) who are having a hard time adjusting to their kids being home.
• She would have ordered food delivery for anyone in need.
• She would have sung, outside, at the top of her lungs.

She would have been present, active, thoughtful, heartfelt, and proud of all of us for coming together in such strange times. She would have been an advocate for flexibility and understanding. She would have led the charge of camaraderie in the age of social distancing, and she would have loved every minute of it.

Today was my mom’s birthday, and what a day it would have been!