What's Going On?

It feels like day *insert insanely high number* of social distancing.

all of us.

While time is moving fast (how did we get to April please?) time also seems to be standing still, it has been two weeks and things still look the same, playgrounds are sealed, there are a bunch of cars parked outside homes, you don’t see a lot of people on the streets, the trains are as good as empty compared to the usual survival of the fittest mode that goes on when you’re trying to find a seat. The hustle and bustle of everyday life has come to an abrupt halt. On the other hand parks are packed and so are the grocery stores. Life as we know it has become unknown to us and there is a new normal that we are all trying to get accustomed to but not used to in hopes that better days are coming.

So, how do we handle a situation that doesn’t have a clear expiration date?

While everything has been going wild on the outside I have turned inward (literally and figuratively), because let’s face it this is the best time to do so. I have been dealing with issues I have skillfully been avoiding because I was either too busy, or too tired when my sub conscious nudged me in the evening hours. To find excuses to give someone else is an ability but to find excuses to give  yourself, that’s art and self sabotage at the same time. We have all the time in the world now even after home office, and checking off to do lists, binge watching series and, after snacking and eating and cooking to eat some more and talking with friends and scrolling through the gram and twitter there is still some time left to be spent within, no matter how much we try to avoid it our inner self looks at us head tilted with a face that says: I was waiting for you at the door.

Turning a blind eye on things that have been going on within, can cease the light from shining and invites in a darkness so pitch black, even the night runs away from it.

Maame Marion

At least that’s how my inner self approaches me: with an attitude. And can I blame her?

Why not use the time effectively not by curing an incurable sickness or inventing whatever it is that has not yet been invented (feel free to do so if need be) but by breathing in and out, by taking care of ourselves, meditating and trying to combat the worries and anxiety that are now even more present than ever. By doing something we have been putting off for the longest time, yes, that includes the clothes you’ve been meaning to pack up and give away but never really had the time for. Or the much needed sleep that you just didn’t have the time for. Or checking up on family members more frequently. Finding ways to practice the care we were busy giving everyone else but ourselves. The face time call we were always too busy to make? That yoga mat that has been collecting dust instead of our sweat? (That one was for me tbh) whatever it is, no matter how simple you may find it, it is something you can call a milestone even if it is as small as a pebble stone. 

What consoles me the most during these times is the fact that we're all in this together. More virtually than physically but together nevertheless. Strength is found in community and community is built through communication. We've got this. And on that note: stay safe and stay at home, get some vitamin D, reach out and give out a helping hand and a listening ear and be willing to receive it.

Love,

Maame