COVID-19 Insanity

A quick update and an interesting insight about life in the age of COVID-19

My goodness, how does 3 months go by with no activity on this site!  My creative projects have been minimal these past few months.  I finally wrote down the music for Echoes, which was a challenge because the rhythm was so syncopated.  BUT, it is done. Yea.  I have started a new collage, but haven’t been motivated to complete it yet. So be it.

Most of my time this year has been spent on physical health, with daily yoga classes and long walks, and spiritual development – reading, contemplating, meditating, journaling, praying… All this, I’m sure, has enabled me to ride the COVID-19 wave with relative ease and only mild discomfort and inconvenience — so far.  I don’t know anyone who has the virus — so far.  I pray for my friends who are on the medical front lines in hospitals.  I pray for my friends who have compromised immune systems because of cancer.  All are okay for the moment. Thank God.

But, as we now are in our second official week of “social distancing,” and as the initial period of shock, adjustment, and acceptance of the new normal sets in, I am starting to feel the pinch.  The pinch of not being able to go to yoga classes or my group gatherings for shared meditation and fellowship.  Or to see my family, to spend time with friends, to enjoy nature, public spaces, and the usual entertainments.  To get my hair cut!  The routines have been rattled.  Even grocery shopping, something I always enjoyed because of the beautiful bounty, now brings me sadness, as I witness so many important items are either unavailable or under purchase limits. I palpably feel the anxiety of others in the air.  And I wonder, is the packaging tainted?  Did the people who touched this food have the virus?  Is it “safe?”

No parties, no celebrations, no weddings, no sports, no gatherings of any kind, not even funerals!  We can no longer be within 6 feet of another person without fearing they will do us harm, or worse, we will harm them!

This new reality is starting to blow my mind.

All the simple pleasures in life, that every human being has always enjoyed and been able to enjoy without conscious thought, and regardless of socioeconomic status, nationality, gender, religious affiliation, etc., are now being denied everyone.  I think it is safe to say that no generation in the history of humanity has ever experienced, collectively, such deprivation of human contact and the freedom to come and go as we like. We are literally in this new normal together.

My insight is this:  I am astounded by the power and privilege of human fellowship!  The opportunity to be connected with other people is actually the greatest gift of life, and until now, we have been free to enjoy this gift without measure.  I now awaken to the awesomeness of this simple but profound truth.  How did I not realize it before???

My question is this: Will we ever again take for granted the opportunity to be with our fellow human beings, enjoy each other’s company, and celebrate life together?

I am so grateful for my human connections. May I never take these simple pleasures for granted AGAIN!  Thanks to all of you for being part of my world. 💖🎁