I went on an unexpectedly long walk today, and it was refreshing. By the end my legs were hurting and I was dehydrated and hungry, but even that felt kind of good in a way. It was nice to be outside, away from anyone else, for such a prolonged period of time. The experience wasn’t entirely blissful the whole time, and that’s the point. Life isn’t rosy 24-7. We’ve become accustomed to convenience, to things being easy. The pandemic has shown us what many humans have faced throughout history, and what many of our contemporaries experience on a daily basis: hardship. Defeating hardship requires grit and determination, and I believe we’re developing it as a species right now. It’s painful, and it’s definitely not easy; but it is necessary. We can do this. We just have to assume tunnel vision on the future we want to achieve together.