Alternate Universe

Or in other words, what I learned from the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Like many of you, I am presently binging Netflix. The show of choice this week has been the latest chapter of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I grew up on the Melissa Joan Hart version of Sabrina: The Teenage Witch and even owned a CD of songs from the soundtrack. (Yes, such a thing existed.)

In the most recent episode, Sabrina is exploring an alternate universe. One that delightfully brings back the aunts from the original show but one where she is completely out of place from all that she grew up with. I think 2020 felt like an alternate reality for many people. There was a pandemic, killer hornets, lantern flies infestation, a contested election, massive protests and in the latest continuation of the alternate reality of 2020: people storming over the Capitol Building.

So while it feels like chaos and the world burning down around you, I’m going to suggest an alternate reality to the present one for the rest of 2021.

Let’s picture a world where we wear masks and try to help not get others sick.

Where we make efforts to know people who don’t look like us, don’t think like us and plain and simple, aren’t us.

Where we post videos of puppies and babies laughing on Facebook instead of vitriol.

Where we open our eyes and ears and listen to people when they are speaking.