Lockdown

Lockdown 

A year ago today schools shut, offices shut, governments shut.

We all in a blink of an eye were forced to lock ourselves in our homes 

We were doing this for a reason

To keep ourselves safe 

To keep our neighbors safe

To keep our families safe

The streets were empty

We entered a virtual world not knowing how long this would last

The whole world was in this together

We counted the weeks, but weeks soon became months

Spring came 

Summer came

Fall came

Holidays, Birthdays, Festivals were all being celebrated virtually

We had learned to be resilient 

Birthday Drive by’s

Get Togethers with friends over zoom

Family Reunions 

Vacations were limited to day trips

Watching  Sunsets and Sunrises gave great joy

Spending time outdoors was the new normal

Restaurants shut

Shops shut

Lines were never ending at the supermarkets

A shortage of toilet paper and lysol wipes

Then came this thing called a mask

I couldn't breathe with it

I felt suffocated 

When was this going to end?

It felt surreal

The numbers kept increasing

People were dying 

Our essential workers became our heroes 

A new sort of humanity was coming about

Humans helping each other out 

Their pain became our pain

Yet we found a way to share and care

Cheering our heroes 

Sharing uplifting stories with one another was a way to cope

We were confined to the walls of our homes 

Life has not been the same since

Nor will it ever be 

We are not who we were when this first started

Our days are flying and the months keep getting shorter

Wondering how is time flying?

Yet I have found a routine in this new world

I hold onto the things that ground me and kept me through this pandemic - nature walks, yoga, meditation, prayer, family, food, and Netflix 

The simple things in life is what really matters

A year ago today there was fear and shock and grief

Today we grieve for those that have left us, we grieve for the lives we used to have, we grieve for a sense of normalcy.

And yet we are strangely beginning to feel a sense of hope

Hope that this too shall pass 

Hope because we have survived this

Hope because there is a vaccine

Hope because we won’t give up

A Year ago today there was no sign of light

Today we are the light! 

Today we give thanks for being alive and working our way through this pandemic

Today we pat ourselves on our back for surviving this 

Today we remember and remind ourselves of the importance of safety precautions

Today we breathe a little easier hoping for a better tomorrow

Journal Prompt:  A year ago today......