For the first couple
of days, my thoughts were suspended in a bubble of disbelief, as I processed
the global news reports. The statistics
were grim. Almost overnight, the world
was under mandatory lock-down. Stay
home, Stay safe and Stop the spread were now part of my daily vocabulary, as I
shut the door and sequestered indoors.
The pause button had been activated. TIME and BUSY had nowhere to go, but isolate
at home and re-evaluate their former lives.
The countdown had begun.
Day One was a welcome break made bearable with a hint of a “holiday”
feel. No work, minimal obligations, a
lot of naps and lounging all day in my pyjamas.
What could be better than leisure and play?
There were plenty of distractions on my “TO DO” list: Organize, de-clutter, read, write, meditate, re-vamp
my blog and register for online classes.
My journal was crammed full of notes, ideas and inspiration. I was
psyched, eager to get started and Get up and Go from the comfort of my
home.
Such lofty ambitions!
I should have known better.
Day Two instead found me bundled in woollies on my couch,
clutching the remote. And there I sat, eyes
glued to the TV, for the remainder of the day.
By Day Five, I had no option but to trudge to the store for a vial of
soothing eye drops and a box of merlot to mellow my now-frazzled nerves.
The start of Week Two (or was that Week Three?) was when full-blown
panic set on in. After all, channel
surfing 24/7 for weeks on end was taking its toll. I was on edge, a mess and in distress. Catching up with daily Coronavirus updates on
the telly had become an obsession that had spun out of control. Time was at a premium and it couldn’t be
“wasted” on other mundane activities.
Journaling, exercising and long-distance learning had to take a back
seat to the more important task of digesting the news.
It’s as if my very existence depended upon these
minute-by-minute reports. My insatiable thirst
for answers became my main focus in life, as I questioned the how, why and what
of this worldwide pandemic. My anxiety level
skyrocketed as waves of sadness and despair submerged my soul.
A tsunami of tears unleashed my fears as I eventually came
to grips that I was not the only person who was straddling the dark side of the
tunnel.
It’s all of us. Together.
There is a light, be it ever so faint, but it is there.
We just have to persevere and get to the other side.
Next blog post will be in one week, Tuesday or
Wednesday, the w/o April 27th.
I’ll update further on my daily reflections. Stay home and Stay safe, my friends!
