Photo credit: Javon Swaby
I had so many plans for this year! This was supposed to be my year of revival, releases and recovery. I thought
for sure had seen enough down days and I had been educated at the school of
hard-knock for long enough; it was time for graduation.
It was much to my dismay when this
lock-down was issued
and my plans had to be placed on hold. I did not plan for this. Where did this
set-back fit into my plan? After all, 2020 was really supposed to be a movie.
I had to learn through
the disappointment, through the pain and loneliness. As a writer, you learn to see
the good in everything but when you are "in medias res" this can be
quite a task.
If we are to be
honest a lot of good has come from this lock-down.
Photo credit: Kehn Herman
It
has made us more creative.
As creatives we are
taught that the world is our stage and we must always be prepared to perform,
even if that means with bruised knees and tears in our eyes. With the on-set of
so many regulations and the inability to meet physically, we have found
innovative ways to connect and to support each other.
A few of those ways
include Instagram Lives, YouTube concerts and Zoom Meetings. I have been
privileged enough to attend some of these forums (which I probably would never
have time for before) such as the Open Mic nights by @Busboysandpoets on
Instagram, poetry workshops with Poetry Foundation.
Besides these forums,
artists and creatives are finding more ways to connect with their supporters.
Social distancing has not stopped artists like Kes, John Legend, Voice (The
Artist) and Teyana Taylor from releasing new music and innovative videos. We know how much
music means to us a people and the mere fact that they have gone over and
beyond to record in the living rooms and backyards to ensure we have new sounds
to keep us hopeful and positive means a lot.
It
has made us more mindful.
I have observed that
during the lock-down others have become more mindful of others and how actions
affect those around. I was rather concerned when the grocery stores were left
bare and very little was left for the front-line workers to consume. However,
when the panic had subsided regulations were put in place and front-line
workers were given stipulated hours to shop. Some companies even went as far as
delivering to front-line workers. I am sure they were very grateful.
Some of us have now
taken time out to consider the plight of the essential workers and how much
they sacrifice to ensure the rest of us remain safe. They risk their lives and
leave their families everyday to report for duty and the most they ask is that
we honour protocols put in place. They are truly heroes.
We have are also
aware, now more than ever, of the "plight" of teachers. Parents now
salute teachers for their hard work and patience. Not everyone is cut out to
be a teacher and although many parents are claiming they are often frustrated, their new found reverence of teachers is noteworthy.
The
Earth is breathing.
If we are to be
honest, we have not always been kind to the Earth and our environment. Since
the lock-down we have witnessed less pollution, cleaner air and rivers, like in
cities such as Venice. Some of us who have been observant of this change
have tried pointing it out to our loved ones and we can only hope that they
take heed. But the Earth is breathing. When the world opens its airports and
doors once more we can only hope that we remain mindful that the Earth is our
home and we must take care of her.
We must remember to
always look on the bright side of things no matter how difficult it may seem.
There is always light at the end of the tunnel but sometimes it may take you a
while before you recognize it is there. During that time you must ensure that
you learn as many life lessons as you possible can because life is always
teaching us lessons.
Creatives
Artists
Innovators
Essential Workers
Front-line Workers
We say a huge THANK
YOU! Keep up the good work.
Thank you for
reading. You are incredible.
Please leave a
comment below to say thank you to our creatives, artists, innovators, essential
and front-line workers.
Very good, keep it up 💯💯💯
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement.
ReplyDelete