Perseverance, by Group
Dear Corona Virus,
Thanks to you, my life in the foreseeable future is canceled. Since due to mandatory social isolation I have no activities to go to or people to be with, I am forcing you to listen to this story that I wrote. If you don’t go away soon, you will be forced to listen to even more of my stories.
Dear COVID-19,
Well, damn. You think you’re all that and a bag of infected chips these days, don’t you, Corona? Such a powerful virus, all round and prettily adorned with those little outreaching grabber things on the perfectly rounded sphere of disease you inhabit, all meant to so perfectly attach to the insides of our noses and lungs, a perfectly created, formulated or hatched virus meant to persevere…one meant to go on and on and on and on, person to person, one cough to the next, one sneeze to another. Until we figure out what it is that makes you tick. Or makes us sick. The vaccine we are already in search of, desperately.
So what if you’re changing the face of our planet as we know if? Humankind is strong, resilient, a perfectly crafted breed of perseverance and mutation. We adapt, we change, we make lemonade with lemons, for sure. We will be designing new ways of destroying you, creating new ways of impacting new life and continuing our strain of existence, perfecting the beautiful nuanced imperfections of humanity as we adhere to our new current mode of social distancing, our new Lady MacBeth hand washing routines…
Dear Corona Virus,
DUDE YOU ARE FUCKING UP EVERYONE’S SHIT RIGHT NOW! DID YOU KNOW THAT THE WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF TOILET PAPER AS WE SPEAK? PEOPLE ARE FREAKING OUT, AND IF YOU ARE TRYING NOT TO FREAK OUT, YOU ARE FALLING SUCCUMB TO THE REACTION OF OTHERS – THE CLOSURES, THE HYSTERIA, THE HEAD TURNS AT EVERY COUGH. PEOPLE ARE BEING EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES. IT IS A HARD TIME TO BE A GOOD AND THOUGHTFUL HUMAN BEING. CALM.
Dear CoronaVirus,
Couldn’t you have picked a different time to come?
You’ve arrived at the biggest transition point of my life. The moment I was meant to jump into the real world. Head first. Exploring. Traveling. Learning.
And then you yelled “pause!!!”
How peculiar. All of a sudden, we have so much time. School is closed. Work is closing. But what to do?
All of a sudden, nature seems further away than ever. All of a sudden, my friends in other countries and states seem further away than ever. When I heard the Yoga Studio was closing, suddenly I felt more alone than ever.
The funny thing is, while I know my frustration is coming from my journey seemingly being put on pause, I also realize this is one of my biggest tests yet.
I dreamt of going to ashrams to meditate. Beaches and jungles to connect and escape the fast paced, driven city.
But the truth is I don’t really need to go anywhere. Now is the time to sit still. Now is the time to put my practice to the test. To journey within and find peace despite the external chaos. To explore the infinite expansiveness despite borders being shut.
This is a massive test, for that, I thank you CoronaVirus. Because tests are opportunities, Massive opportunities for growth.
*Please don’t let me forget that this is hard for everyone. Not just me. Let me be compassionate and loving to all, for we all need a hug now more than ever.
With love,
Matteo, Suzanne, Kim and Andria
Meditation & Writing group