written ton 4/28
It has been a tough month for many of us. Last year we went through the Corona wave here in the USA. It felt like an eternity and we all had a hard time but when I look back it wasn’t at all bad. At the time our families in India were worried about us. Most of us here didn’t have to worry about food, medical supplies and day to day living. We had clean air to breathe and space to walk. We could see people with masks and from a distance. With social distancing and mask wearing we met friends and made our own bubble. We had the resources and means to survive.
This time it’s hitting the other side of the world with much more intensity and things are going downhill very fast, like a super fast train without break hurtling towards the cliff with everyone holding on tight with what ever they have.
I used to cringe when heard about weddings, celebrations, get togethers , festivals and election rallies. People were just not taking it seriously in India. Here we are, so far unaware of the full scale of the self harm. Every morning we wake up and read a message or 2 about some new case or a death in the families we know and care about . It’s like there is no end in sight. I have stopped counting the sickness and deaths of near and dear ones now.
We are all fighting our own demons . Every text message or phone call is scary. I haven’t been sleeping well for the past few days, so decided to break the routine and spend a day doing something different. I dragged two of my long time friends with me. All of us are in the same boat, worrying about parents, thinking about families. It was my mental health day and the Tulip Farm in Exeter, Rhode Island was a perfect escape with perfect company.
Acres and acres of colors, happy and smiling. There were a lot of young kids running around, being chased by parents and grandparents. It was a sight for my wounded soul. We were there for almost two hours and the 3 of us picked flowers, giggled, laughed, thought of famines back home and talked about them. We managed to do video calls with parents to brighten their day just a little bit with this profusion of colors and the carpet of flowers. We sat in the middle of the field and wondered about what’s coming next.
Some days are just hard but it’s like waiting for the storm to clear. I did what I am good at. Wore a saree and forgot my pain and tried to be there in the moment. Took tons of pictures of many families. I didn’t want to take anyone’s picture on my phone but asked an elderly couple if I could. She was very happy to hear that I was going to use it for my review and blog. When I asked her husband to hold her closer, the blush on their faces was something I would like to remember always. Love and hope - that conquers all.
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