CORONAVIRUS; THE BEAUTY AND THE UGLY

So, a friend needs my help, not physical but just an ear for me to listen. This happens most of the time because that’s what friends are for and I think I am good at it, that’s because they always come back and few times I’ve told them “everything happens for a reason”, Yes! Yes! Yes! I know you have heard that before many times to be exact. I have been using that phrase and believing in it for quite some time now and it proves itself every time, not that it has to but we are humans and we live for certainty.

Three months ago everything was completely different, we were not wearing masks and gloves, we didn’t have curfews, some were beating the deadlines at school or at work, some were tired of the daily same work routine, some had the schedules of what to do next at the very same time some were jobless, some were depressed, some were anxious but we all had normal life problems to worry about, we still had something in common. I don’t remember correctly how it started because I was invested into what I was doing in other words busy with the daily routine.

In a blink of an eye everything changed and I am certain no normal human saw that coming, it was all over the news and it was confirmed that this disease” COVID-19” is now a pandemic the normal lifestyle that the whole world had, changed. Many countries all over the world introduced the “LOCKDOWN” and life hasn’t been normal since then. The schools, shops, offices were closed and new rules to tackle the spread of the disease were introduced this included: no handshakes, no hugs and 2 metres apart policy along with sanitization.

But let me sound dumb again “EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON”. I believe that and in no time, it will fully prove itself again as it always does. Maybe I sound very certain but let me tell you I have a 67-year-old sick Mom living in a third world country where lockdown is close to impossible, where over 50% of the population has to work daily to put food on the table and again lockdown is a myth, I would talk about hospitals, facilities and how everything is politics even dignity but that a story for another day and I work for a company that has been closed for months so yeah the grass is not greener on this side but that my friend is the ugliness and it is not even a half of it, not close. I don’t like talking about the unattractive side of situations, but I will.

So, it got ugly and the bad part about it? It is not over. Every single day I refreshed any feed it is the bad news, people are losing jobs, closing businesses and schools are on hold, it felt like everything is on pause, it felt like nothing is going on and nothing is happening. Just a long boring day of doing nothing and being anxious if the plans we had will come to life, if the life we fantasize about will ever happen to us because it’s been months and all we have taken is zero step closer to where we want to be in the future. That is not how we picture our ideal life but that is where life led us so take it or leave it we have to face it.

But with all this, I still saw good news, some people I know secured jobs like doctors and freelancers in the middle of this very pandemic and some of them were precisely because of a pandemic, so what do we tell these people? let’s not overthink it but when I look at it there is a reason here. And on the other side I saw how nature was healing, how people were channelling their inner creativity from artists, business personals and leaders. I have seen virtual concerts, door to door delivery at its peak, business personals producing items to protect from the disease by re-cycling and some by using the local tools I don’t know about you but I think there is beauty in all this.

When I look at the whole situation, I think the world became authentic and it is something we didn’t know we needed. We stayed far from each other but we got closer I don’t know if that makes sense, we got closer to our family, siblings, friends, colleagues we got time to really ask each other how we really are doing, we got time to play games, we got time to see characters we never saw, we cooked, we prayed, we worked out, we watched the TV shows we didn’t watch before, we had time to think and re-think, we had time to think about fellow humans, the ones with no place to be locked in, we saw the other side of the world where they cannot afford anything without working on the daily and where did that lead us? “pray for the world”, fundraisers, free meal delivery etc. Yes, it led us to dignity and to me that is beautiful.

So far when I look at all this it is very ugly but there is beauty in it and now that it is slowing down thanks to the health workers, people working in the hospitals; cleaners, security personals, drivers, technicians, people working in drug stores and health facilities production companies there will be beauty after it.

To the ones that lost jobs and anything precious you were working on and to the uncertain and the ones that have to start over I will say it again “EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON” you might not see it now but one day you will look back and understand.

As I said I don’t like to talk about the ugly side, but this goes to the ones that have lost their loved ones, the pain is unbearable, May their soul rest in eternal peace, Amen.

As the world is gradually getting back to normal let’s inhale the beauty and be grateful in no time these unprecedented times will be nothing but history. For the time being let’s continue to do the needful and protect ourselves from this deadly disease; wear mask when you are outside, wash your hands regularly, sanitize and maintain social distance but when you are at it;

Face the ugly, inhale and be grateful for the beauty,

Love,

Evelyn