There was this movie years ago called Pleasantville. The basis of this movie was as people became aware and conscious, color was added to their black and white existence. A year ago I feel we were - as everyone was - thrust into a black and white world. The color Iowa Specialty Hospitals and Clinics was known for was shared through warmth and touch. Smiles and hugs were replaced with masks and social distancing. It’s like telling a great restaurant to operate with spices … “no salt, but make it great!”
The hard thing is how to add back the spice after you’ve lived a year without. How can we now add back the color with the lessons we’ve learned and continue to practice? 
As a society, we have a lot of work to do. I’ll use myself as an example. If I decide one day that I’ve had a rotten day and I deserve a treat* and I’ll skip my workout … just for today -- but alas the next day is exhausting as well and I decide that this will be treat/skip day; and it lowers my bar. As the days go on, my diet continues to decline in quality and the workouts shorten and become less intense, and before I know it - I’m on “My 600 lb life”.
What I (and society) need to do is wake up and take back control. Add back the spice, raise the bar as opposed to lower. Recognize the missing colors and add them back. Lowering the bar of expectations is really easy … raising it is hard - however, if we don’t the results won’t be pretty.
*ruffles and onion dip
