I have had to write for months now about how little in the world feels clear. And just when things started to seem they were getting a little clearer, now they may not be.

But take a deep breath, and let’s continue.

Because sure, everyone wants the world to continue to open up. This would help us achieve a sense of normalcy, and what do want more than that? But it is also a ‘for sure’ that some areas are currently seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases. That then makes it difficult to completely feel that opening up is the right step at this moment.

I feel like you can take this in a couple of ways. It can obviously be frightening to think that after going through so much we have not done enough to curtail a significant spread of this disease. It also stands to reason, however, that cases had to increase once social restrictions are lifted, so those numbers were just inevitable.

So where will we end up in a day, a week, a month? Really, who knows. There are so many variables that it is impossible to say. Answers that we desperately want are frustratingly elusive.

To try to make some peace with all of this, I think it is necessary to look at it from two perspectives. One of those is from that of a business. I think there we can all agree on some level that one cannot fault business owners for opening up and doing all the business they can as soon as allowable by law. There may have been multiple pieces of legislation passed to help these businesses, but those are stopgap measures, no one is thriving under them, and they need to try and get back to that state.

It is up to the business owner to take the necessary steps to make its customers/clients feel safe, though. And therein we begin to see the second perspective that I think is necessary, a personal one.

People’s comfort levels differ for many reasons – health, the health of others close to them, personal experience, location, etc. – so of course there are going to be many who still feel reticent to do certain activities even in areas that are completely open without restrictions. And if you are one of them, don’t do things that make you uncomfortable. Your comfort is important and added extra levels of stress is not going to help you stay healthy.

And for those whose comfort level is high, yes, get out there and do all that is allowed in your area (while following all necessary precautions). Again, it is tough to fault someone who has felt stifled in life for embracing the things they have missed.

For one thing that can be clear through all of this is that we can carry on and we will progress if we all embrace respecting each other and our communities while moving at our own pace.