The Exodus of Sanity

Almost done…almost done with the worst of times. And here are the questions we all want answered:

What will 2021, the first year of the new decade, look like?

And how will 2020—the cursed year—finally end?

These are probably things we didn’t even think about last January when 2020 started, or in March when the world shut down! There was a lot of potential, and yet, as this year comes to a close, we are still consumed with doubt as the pandemic continues to surge, doors close again, and sanity continues to leave the building. It’s hard to believe that when we last heard the music of the October editorial, there was a glimmer of light around the corner...or so we thought. There was hope for peace on earth, coming together, and bridging divides...or so we thought. And of course November 3 took us in opposite directions, at least as I’m sitting here writing...or so we thought.

Invariably, we have found new ways to maximize our time and maybe even learned how to make a few adjustments. Spending more time with family, getting back in shape, finding new hobbies, binging every show we ever wanted to watch, and even rediscovering ourselves have given us better ways to expend our energy than losing our minds...not that everyone hasn’t come close at least once. But are these new resolutions going to sustain into the new year? Into the post-pandemic years? And will we learn to be more appreciative of how truly good we have it by using 2020 as the negative standard?

Think back to how we explained to young children why we could not go to the park, why the games were played in front of empty arenas, and why it wasn’t safe to go visit Grandma.

Now think more recently to what we told our patients about how to manage their skin “during the pandemic” or “with the mask,” or anything else that had never crossed our minds. We have now just adopted the phrase of resolve: “That’s 2020.”

What are the common themes? Adaptation? Frustration? Depression? Acceptance? If only Kubler-Ross criteria had a Coronavirus scale...

So many parts of our world will remain up in the air after January 1 rings some bells.

More meetings cancelled, patient volumes still in flux, and innovations on hold will probably remain the norm until spring, even with vaccines in our sights. Now we are left with two years of no AAD meetings, a membership with virtual identities, and disconnect with industry colleagues who can’t travel while the rest of the world won’t. More importantly there will be more hours away from friends, more strain on budgets, and more anxiety on our plates. And, of course, more virtual hell. Most of us have created mini-bucket lists for 2021 when the doors hopefully reopen—trips of course are high on those lists as are family events that were not possible in the pandemic. But what about redefining career priorities? Or, even better, reassessing time priorities? Many of us saw signs or were hit suddenly like a lightning bolt pointing to make life changes. But were they realistic or too drastic?

The mission for all of us now is to curb the exodus of sanity, to bring back some balance, and to stay focused on our health so we can be strong enough to take care of families and patients amid whatever 2021 brings us. The mission is also to try to get back to innovation, education, and, as a result, passion.

Let’s hope the counts go down, that the vaccine works, and that we can get past this. We need to get back in the same room and make the most of meetings, of course with masks and distance, but from out behind the screens. We need to sit at a bar and talk and create ideas, bringing a renaissance of innovation that was lost. We need to be heard in person and not continue to speak over each other on virtual calls, which we are all completely sick of. And most importantly, we need to be smart enough to know when it makes sense, and when we need to be strong and get to work on restoring normalcy. Cheers to 2021—and hope that we can actually toast in person soon!