I woke this am before the sun rose, reminiscent of how I woke 19 years ago; early, bright, and ready to greet life. I then realized, Wow, it's #911day. Sigh. Here again, after the recall and acceptance, that feeling tone wafted in; death, disbelief, and the haunting stillness that palpated in the air and ether that morning. At 6:03amPST, I watched as the second plane crashed into the South Tower.
COVID, 180,000 deaths, our communities of sisters and brothers now living in the streets, families unable to feed themselves, Unemployment at record highs, once hip and fascinating cities now look like ghost towns; the Have's and the Have Not's is starkly visible. The people who run our Government have failed us in every way, and we failed ourselves by electing them...or by not paying attention to how we got here.
The idea of escaping to a time of carefreeness and innocence seems like a great solution...however, I know my dear black friends and women, in general, would not want to go back to where we were. The past 19 years are pale compared to what we have endured for Centuries at white men's hands, yet we have experienced massive deaths, heinous murders with our own eyes, and life in hyper movement, uncertainty, and change. And, now, stillness. Which, at times, is not so un similar to that morning on 9.11.01.
How did we get here?! Have I been so caught up in "my shit," learning, and my immediate friend circles that I forgot about my community at a local, Country, and Global level? Yes. ---- Ultimately, I am responsible for what I am experiencing around me. While my life is relatively still, calm, secure, and creative; I know and painfully see that many are suffering.
Where do we go, and what do we do now? I would first understand what I don't like about this experience to create a path to knowing what I do want. What did you learn from this experience? What could you have done better personally and with your collective community engagement?
I would prefer this blog to be uplifting, and it's not. Honoring where I really am and acknowledging how I got here is an expression of maturity that will ultimately bring us to a new place. Look, life is uncertain. And, the only thing we can control is ourselves, how we hold ourselves, respond, and prepare our day to day, minute to minute lives.
Would you please share how you are experiencing #COVID19, and what you did in your life to be prepared for this uncertainty or not prepared during this time? And, what has these catastrophic experiences taught you for your future?