Inspiration From Our Biggest Challenges

President-General’s Message Winter 2021

Hello All.

Sometimes the best inspiration comes from our most difficult challenges. 

Recently The Washington Post theater critic Peter Marks commented that William Shakespeare wrote two of his best plays, “Macbeth” and “King Lear,” in the middle of a plague. (Critic’s Notebook: Waiting out a pandemic—and for our ‘King Lear’). London’s public places, including theaters, were in lockdown. Shakespeare was inspired and survived that pandemic 400 years ago. We relish his results.

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift recently talked at length about her concern in a lockdown at her home in Upstate New York in 2020. She wandered in her home for several days until she realized she could do more than worry. Swift texted her contacts and found she could create her own studio there in the bedroom. The results became her new album “Folklore,” widely applauded in appreciation of her work during her isolation.

Last summer, my husband and I decided to buy another kayak to explore Maryland. These inexpensive boats have given us exercise, fresh air and new ideas to learn. We found it took time to find a kayak: Thousands of folks had found the same idea of finding therapy for our minds and bodies in a safer environment. We waited a few weeks until the kayaks became available again. For us, it was worth the wait.

Meanwhile, the virus has inspired scientific research and production of the fresh vaccines. Change is coming, but we will have to wait. Come Spring, we’ll have to move our planned Princeton meeting to Fall and replace our Spring Meeting with a fascinating Virtual Trip to Oregon. We wish we could shake hands instead of seeing each other in a Zoom meeting but we will keep DSDI in a safer environment. But when Summer comes, we are counting on change so we can meet together in person in Philadelphia, July 2021, for DSDI’s Annual Congress.

Please add this to your calendar:

“Virtual Oregon” in Zoom

              March 12, 2021, 3pm Board Meeting

              March 13, 2021, 7pm, General Meeting

Philadelphia in Person! Celebrate July 3-4, 2021, Fourth of July Weekend for all ages

With best wishes for a healthy, happy 2021,

Lucy