A month ago we lived in a different world. Now I am devastated by what if’s; we had this great plan and goal to change our lives. My mind keeps running back to what if we had set this plan in motion two months earlier, or two months later? But it’s not about ME.
I am living in two worlds – one where today in Spain we have 3,800 new confirmed cases and 285 deaths (a full week after lock-down was instituted) and where people are taking this seriously, to one where my heart lies and currently there are only 280 confirmed cases. The concept of my homeland following the global trend and the possibility of a cataclysmic disaster scares me shitless.
“I am torn between trying to stay positive and wanting to drive awareness. I see those closest to me appear oblivious to the stark reality coming while they live their lives unchanged, while here where I currently live we face the naked reality of our world today. What separates my two worlds today, maybe as little as two weeks?”
There is no counting for what we have lost in number of lives and will still lose – of the devastating financial impact this global epidemic will still have. The challenge with the numbers is that they abstract the reality; behind every one of those numbers are wives and husbands, parents and siblings, children and grandchildren left behind.
I want to not only appreciate what is going on now, but also continue see into the future. One positive with goals and a belief that our planet will come out of this stronger – fundamentally different in ways we can’t yet comprehend, but better. This is an exceptionally scary time and one of information overload which makes us just want to turn away and ignore the situation. I can see that people are already weary of bad news and want to switch off BUT you don’t get to do that. That’s not on! The healthcare professionals and volunteers in the hospitals don’t have that choice and do not get to go home and rest while we pretend this won’t happen to us.
So we owe it to everyone to not only to still have dreams, but to also remain mindful of our social responsibilities - even if it means acknowledging every case, every death. I don’t know the answers and you are probably tired of my voice already, but we are all in this together and I am so very scared here but I will hold onto what keeps me strong. You need to do the same.
So focus on what you want out of the future while you acknowledge the current situation. Switch off if you need to for one day but stay informed and aware. While you think you know what is going on, this is constantly changing and so too are your risks.
If you take only one thing out of my message let it be that the time to be afraid of catching COVID-19 is over, it is now time to be afraid of passing it on.
Comentarios