When you are sitting in the house for months at a time with nothing to do and nowhere to go it makes you think about a lot of things. You look at this dreadful disease that killed so many people and you are more thankful for your health and your life. You see young, old, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, so many groups of people leaving so suddenly. All of this happening while there is nowhere to go except outside for necessities. Even when you go out to the store you are still cautious because the disease is airborne.
You sit and contemplate what to do to pass the time away. You start working on all those projects around the house that you’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. You tackle many of these projects but there is still a longing inside you. You sit in silence and you begin to wonder why you’re here and what your purpose is. For me, I discovered that my purpose involves service. I like the idea of helping others. When I do something that brings a smile to someone’s face it evokes a good feeling inside me. It allows me to not have to focus on what’s not right in my life. I can focus on helping to bring joy to someone else. Then you see what others are going through and sometimes when you think things are going really bad for you it dawns on you that others are much worse off than you are.
At a certain point, I began to think about my spirituality. I think about the churches I’ve attended and the good, bad, and the ugly associated with them. I think about my” so-called religious” friends and associates and how they often contradict what they say by their actions. Don’t get me wrong I’m not judging. I still have a ways to go on my journey towards spirituality. I am truly a work in progress. However, if you constantly talk the talk and don’t walk the walk then what kind of example are you setting for others that truly want to walk the Godly path? The Church is not a building. It is within you. We are our brother’s keeper. Say a kind word, do a kind deed, and expect nothing in return. This is what spirituality is all about.
You think about your transgressions and maybe how you could’ve done things differently. Each of us all have our individual journeys in this life. We’ve all done things that we are not proud of. Everyone, yes I said everyone has skeletons in their closets. But that’s ok because we are all human which means we are not perfect. However, at some point in our lives, we realize that we must strive to always do the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing is hard because we are innately selfish. Doing the right thing builds character and allows us to always take accountability for our actions. This attitude is what makes our lives worth living. It is not about money or material things. It’s about basic regard for each human being and personally striving to do your part to make the world a better place.
Sitting and thinking. Thinking and sitting. Looking around at the world. Seeing things that you never saw before because now you are still and you see small details that you never noticed before. You see the beauty of nature. You see the innocence of little children. You begin to appreciate the small things that family and friends do to let you know they care. In the midst of all of this, you begin to realize how fragile life is and what a blessing it is to be alive.
Then along comes a vaccine and it gives hope to some. Maybe we can put this pandemic behind us. There is much discussion about the vaccine. Some want to take it and some don’t. It is truly a personal decision. The disease continues to make its rounds. Many are still dying. Others are still refusing to wear masks or socially distance themselves.
Here in America where we all have freedom (to a certain extent when it pertains to persons of color) some of us feel that we have the freedom to decide not to wear a mask. My question is do you have the right to not wear a mask around me and infect me with a deadly disease? Do I have the freedom to wear my mask and not be sullied by those non-believers for taking precautions and protecting myself and my loved ones? The beat goes on. The disease continues to look for victims as many of us choose not to wear a mask and protect ourselves and others. In a country like America with many freedoms, I feel it tends to bring out the selfishness in many of us. We want to always have it our way. Do you wonder what would happen if we approached this disease in a manner that considered both ourselves and others? We could greatly soften the blow. What I learned from a little over a year of going through this pandemic is how some of us are truly concerned about our fellow man and how another segment of the population doesn’t give a damn about anyone else-just themselves. Heaven help us all!!! Give us a thumbs up, a like, and a share.
**Article submitted by: VMG Review Team Member-Dianne Cleveland-sharp
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