The post Thanksgiving explosion of Covid cases seems poised to really set off a second, exponentially bigger wave of Christmas Covid cases. Hospitals are already really overwhelmed. The stubborn are really going to be making the next few months interesting.

This is going to make previous periods look like nothing, and the threat of catching Covid is going to be around us in a way it never has been before while our ability to deal with it will likely implode. Medical professionals just can't keep this up for months. They're humans.

The collective sickness and grief - under a hostile uncaring regime who will do nothing to aid it in any way - is really going to be a trip. I can't see the future but the writing on the wall is pretty clear. 2021 is going to start with a period of mourning like we've never known

So here's what I can tell you about disaster and anxiety when things are going wrong: focus on small things around you, and what you can do to help in the moment. Take the time you need to recharge, but don't stop staring clear-eyed at what is coming. Know and expect it.

Hiding doesn't make you feel better, it makes you feel more powerless. Action gives you a sense of agency. Seek it out. Don't expect the positive outcomes. Prepare for the worst, then hope for the best. But don't expect it. If miracles weren't scarce they wouldn't be miracles.

A person who can focus on what is actually happening in crisis is worth a hundred well trained people who can't. Assess. Pause. Breathe. Act. Learn what you can do to help. There is likely no overall structure that will have your back.

I'd love to be wrong. I wish with all my being I am. But I don't believe in my heart I will be. The level of death we are at now - more than one person every minute! - will likely seem quaint in January. It's scary but it's what we're going into. Expect it and prepare accordongly