Societally, we find our days either packed to the brim, or a long void and vacuum of time. Sometimes this feeling shifts from day to day, hour to hour. The dichotomy of extremes of time and space have become a challenge to us all. Sometimes we lose track of the days, while other days we are painfully aware of the passing of time.
Aren’t we all waiting- patiently, impatiently- for our full freedom to return? A hug, a handshake, normalcy. It feels like that part of “In the Air Tonight.” You know the part. When it really kicks in, and the song comes fully alive (minute 3:41, should you care for a refresher). I’m assuming Phil Collins didn’t realize in 1981 that we might have held onto his song as a mantra for 2020 quarantine.
I’m imaging a lot of what we do now isn’t what we thought we’d be doing in 2020, actually. Here we are trading a bag of flour for a roll of toilet paper. Here we are changing from nighttime pajamas to daytime pajamas. Look at these individuals, putting on masks day in and day out, to walk out into the world. Look at these humans, who are now known as “essential” or “non-essential.” Longing to work, fearing going to work, longing to see their families and friends. Longing to be alone, longing to not spend another day alone. This is life in the most extreme of dichotomies and labels that none of us asked to have, nor particularly want.
Our heartache is real and deep, and yet so is the resilience of the human spirit. We continue onwards and forward, because there is no other choice. Whether we are lying in bed lamenting the fate of the world, or cleaning baseboards with a Q-tip, we are existing successfully; life in the time of COIVD.
This is spectacular. Beautifully said.
Spot on. Beautifully written.