I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO…

The air smelled clean and crisp.The birds chirped uninterrupted. The sky seemed bluer to me. Without the constant sound of cars whizzing by, I was able to think. To appreciate this freedom of being able to walk and breathe and be alive.

And as I savored all of these freedoms, once kind of taken for granted, I saw my neighbor’s flag gently and majestically swaying in the breeze. At that moment, I started reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I hadn’t even thought about saying those words since my elementary school days . I suddenly had a flash back of that heavenly, cold chocolate milk I devoured daily from it’s cute little carton and double checking to make sure I had shorts on under my dress so I could swing on the monkey bars…I wasn’t even sure I would remember the words.

“ I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America…” My heart felt heavy as my hand palpated every beat. My hand felt purposeful and important, as if it were interpreting some sort of new morse code with each beat. I began to think about this word, allegiance. It’s not part of my daily lexicon. I knew it meant some sort of blind loyalty to a superior entity. But, thanks to my smart phone, I also learned that allegiance can mean devotion to a person, group, or cause.

Bingo!! To me, this word encapsulates what I was feeling that morning. We are showing allegiance to our neighbors, our community, our first responders and our high risk citizens, by simply staying home. We are saving lives. Who knew that staying home was a superpower?

Perhaps this pandemic has distilled our nation down to a commonality our generation has never had to define. Generations before us living through the Great Depression or war , know it. Those of us old enough to have realized the gravity of that moment in September, as we watched the planes fly into the towers and felt our hearts stop beating, know it. Allegiance was what was needed to band together for a common good. Even though we didn’t have a picture of what that might look like, we felt it.

And so that is what we are doing . We are banding together for a common good and it is working! We are learning the importance of allegiance, both globally and at home. Watching the globe light up in this infectious web, illuminates our interconnectivity. It sheds light on the sad fact that we are too dependent on outside resources but also reminds us that we are all humans on one sphere.

Allegiance to our species, our nation, our governors, our first responders, our healthcare workers, our delivery drivers and grocery workers…at every level imaginable.That’s what is being asked of us. It feels daunting to me but when I break it down to my own community and my own self and my own daily actions, it feels digestible and empowering.

So, as we enter this Brave New World, with it’s rules being written as we speak and it’s unforeseen consequences as yet to be felt, my hope is that we don’t forget the importance of allegiance. Allegiance to our evolving definition of community. Allegiance to our newfound commonality of humanity and survival. Allegiance to compassion and helping thy neighbor. Allegiance all the way down to the one common denominator, ourselves. “ To thine own self be true.”

…with liberty and justice for all.