Words that caught us: C-Y-B is for 'Count Your Blessings' (Part II)
Just
in case you missed it,
Day 13
We
are grateful for food, water,
And a
place to call home.
When
the lockdown measures were announced,
Most
of us retreated to the safe sanctuaries we call Home.
With
most of the restaurants and entertainment places closed,
The family
table and family meals became the assembly point
For life,
love and laughter.
Home,
family and wholesome food had, finally,
Regained
their value and importance.
The
battle they had waged against busyness and greed,
Was finally
won!
We
hope and pray that this will hold,
Not just
for a few privileged ones –
Because
that’s what we really are –
But
for every breathing human being.
Spare
a thought for the hungry, the thirsty,
And the
homeless.
Day 14
We
are grateful to all the health workers,
For staying
true to their Hippocratic Oath,
Even when
we have failed and neglected
To honour
our obligations to them.
This time
demands that we think broadly
And act
boldly.
It’s
time to look back and uphold
The common
values that bind and bring us together,
As a
society.
When someone
takes advantage of another’s good will,
We say
they are selfish, unfeeling and uncaring.
When
someone feeds on another’s sweat,
And forces
them to work in unsafe conditions,
Without
fair compensation,
We call
it slavery.
Given
what you know about this situation,
Would
any of us agree to take on the risk,
And the
responsibilities the health worker are taking?
We
bet not.
The
fact that we continue to receive
Even
a modicum of medical services,
Under
these conditions, is, in itself, a miracle!
Day 15
We
are grateful to all the mama-mbogas,
Grocers,
supermarket attendants,
And delivery
truck drivers.
You
may not know us,
But
we see you,
And we
recognize the value of your work!
Tucked
away, behind the walls of our homes,
We
may be tempted to think we have it all under control,
Until
we start running out of food and other basics.
The
truth of the matter is, we live in a system
That works
on cooperation and interdependence.
The
divisions and inequalities we seem so intent at imposing on it,
Only ends
up weakening, and making it ineffective.
Day 16
We
are grateful to all the players
Who made
history,
By developing
and bringing to market,
COVID-19
Vaccine, in record time.
Most
of us are unaware of the risks,
Costs
and complexities involved
In vaccine
development.
A
global pandemic such as this,
Requires
a broad based, consensus driven, global response.
Bringing
all the players together was magic.
Securing
agreement on common objectives was magic.
Bringing
together Biotech and Artificial Intelligence
To
speed up development, was magic.
Securing
financial guarantees for the construction of factories,
Before
trials and regulatory approvals, was magic.
Securing
agreements for proportional distribution,
And strengthening
of medical systems of poorer nations,
Was
magic.
No
vaccine has ever been developed,
Tested,
approved and produced in mass
At such
a short time. History has been made.
Thanks
to all those who worked tirelessly,
To hang
a rainbow in our skies,
And,
in the process, also made history!
Day 17
We
are grateful for the fresh air,
The sunshine,
beautiful sunsets,
And all
things natural and free!
Despite
all the things in our lives,
That
fell through and apart,
Nature
continued giving freely and generously,
As it
always has.
The
sun still came up in the morning
And set
in the evening.
The
birds still sang, the butterflies still danced,
The
wind still blew and the raindrops still fell.
Unfortunately,
like all things free –
Think
love, little acts of kindness, honesty, friendship –
We tend
towards ignoring them, rather than celebrate them.
Luckily
for us, nature doesn’t know how to hate,
Or take
unrequited love, unkindly.
For
that, we are most thankful!
Day 18
We
are thankful for the many beautiful surprises,
And
random acts of kindness,
That came
our way this year.
Think
about it…
Some
of the most beautiful things in our lives –
Like
meeting an acquaintance,
Who
ends up becoming a dear friend, business or life partner –
Happen
serendipitously, without warning or planning.
It’s
like manna from heaven.
You
just have to stand outside, be open to it,
And
let it fall on you, as heaven sees it fit!
During
this lockdown period,
Perhaps
because of our reduced pace and busyness,
We
noticed more moments of serendipity than usual.
We
discovered new and amazing places
We
never knew existed in our community,
Simply
by walking and wandering around.
We
met some of the kindest and loveliest people we know,
Simply
by taking a trail, turning left there, and right here,
And smiling
at someone through the fence.
If
our paths crossed this year, this is for you!
It
was a pleasure meeting you!
Day 19
We
are grateful for the opportunity COVID has given us
To
discover new forms of intimacy and connection,
And new
ways of developing
Shared
and deeper understanding, in each other.
This
was notably brought to our attention
By DushkaZapata, who, when asked about
The most unexpected outcome for her,
In this pandemic, wrote:
“I've
been working at my current job for 9 months.
My
first day was the same day San Francisco
issued
the first shelter in place order.
I've
never met my coworkers in person
but
I've seen the inside of their homes.
I've
seen the photos that sit on their desks …
I've
met their significant others and their kids.
I've
seen their paintings
and
how they are arranged on the walls,
their
wallpaper, their laundry,
the
curtains in their bedrooms,
their
beds, their sheets, the bottles of wine
carefully
stored on shelves in their study.
I’ve
seen their hair overdue for a haircut …
I
could never have predicted this new form of intimacy
[and]
the surprising sweetness it reveals…”
We
bet we’ve all had these ‘Aha’ zoom moments,
When
we realize that we feel something more
About
another person
Because
of something they’ve revealed to us.
For
us, it was an evening zoom family meeting
We held
in bed, with the young one jumping
And
hollering all over!
We
bet no family member had ever seen our bed,
Leave
alone, us in bed, until that moment.
It
was revelation and a deep moment of vulnerability,
Which
we didn’t realize, until much later,
When
a family member asked about it, in our next meeting.
Think
about that!
Until next week...let's keep on counting our blessings!
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