Small Discoveries
I long to wait in line, any line, unencumbered by a piece of cloth covering my face, hiding my smile. I want to see your face, your smile, whether joyful or sad, I want to see you!
Covid-19 has turned our lives inside out. We hear the stories; we live the pain. But in the midst of all the chaos, there is calm. A re-calibration of sorts. A different way of doing things, of seeing ourselves, and each other.
I’ve dialed back the noise in my mind, while looking through a more reflective lens. Life’s simple routines I would find mundane, even annoying, are now a source of comfort and anticipation.
That person standing in front of me with a cart stuffed full of groceries isn’t draining my time, but helping me feel more connected, less alone.
For the first time, I thanked a sanitation worker for all his hard work keeping our neighborhood clean and safe from discarded debris.
And when the wind howls through the trees and the snow bursts free from the sky, I feel the pull of nature telling me to slow down, take a breath, pray.
Although I abhor the coronavirus and how it has ravaged our world leaving many of us heartbroken and insecure, it has also been a source of re-direction, a sharper lens with which to see.
It has paved my way toward deeper reflection. What is important. What is not. How with the smallest bit of effort, we rediscover ourselves.
Alice Barbera
