A series of essays....
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| THE NEW WORLDWIDE FASHION ACCESSORY FOR SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN (?) OF 2020 |
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
“We fell asleep in one world and woke up in another.
Suddenly, Disney is out of magic,
Paris is no longer romantic,
New York doesn't stand up anymore,
the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty.
Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons -- and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love.
Suddenly, you realize that power, beauty and money are worthless and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for.
The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it's sending us a message:
You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my master." — Anonymous Author
The ritual of waking-up early to write intensifies everyday that the morning breaks earlier and the days begin to roll into one another and be renamed Thatday, Thisday, and Whatday is this? Most human contact is encapsulated in small screens and going outside means raking last autumn’s leaves and tending to the flower patches. My goodness, we're going to enjoy some hellishly noteworthy gardens this year...when we’re able to walk openly and get out to see them!
John Prine didn’t make it. Man, that sucks! He was a gauge of hope for me. I remember thinking, “If we don’t lose John, this crumbling world is turning around and the highly susceptible will have given us more hope to carry-on and believe in the strength of mankind and the future.” RIP, John. You are loved. You will be missed.
We won’t remember all of their names like we will John’s. Too many heroes are falling, divesting this world of good people who signed-up to help their fellow man out of the grace and glory of their own hearts. Like an Irish storyteller (a seanchaí), the survivors come home each night and relay their intensely sad and often gruesome stories to those who will listen, only to return, in far less than adequate battle gear, to do it all over again the next day! Their loving efforts and hard work will be remembered forever.
And, there will always be someone like you and me, isolated within our homes, who listen, keyboard at the ready, fingers poised, willing to open up our hearts to the truth and layout our feelings to anyone who wants to read our ideas and opinions. I am humbled by you taking the time to read mine each week.
After reading the story highlighted above, it was important for me to sit down and contemplate the ramifications of each line, every thought and purpose behind the author’s words and how they would and should affect all of us. Essentially, “We fell asleep in one world and woke up in another.” What was black is now white, tall is short, high is low, soft is hard, right is wrong, and fairy tales and children’s stories have been successfully written with even less prompting.
It’s exactly what it’s been like living under the current administration in Washington D.C. for the past four years; an upside down world of wrong versus right and what we were asked to believe in has now turned against us and used as ammunition to strike us down at every turn. The war zone we live in dictates that, “Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love.” Sadly, our lives have changed drastically from what we previously thought to be normal. Ordinary and usual become preconceived notions formulated long ago in another time and a different place.
Certain unhealthy changes have already altered our lives. The price we have had to pay for them is staggering!
“Suddenly, you realize that power, beauty, and money are worthless and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for.” This makes me wonder why greedy, wealthy individuals believe that their money and power will sustain their health and well-being like some magical, golden cloak slipped over their sleazy shoulders.
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| MOTHER EARTH WEEPS |
And, the message that Mother Earth is sending us is profound and clear: The Earth will get along just fine without the presence of humans. In fact, the Earth, with her clean water and unpolluted sky, existed much better before we arrived. If humans are shutdown for a while either by their own stupidity or a worldwide pandemic, and are fortunate enough to return to this nurturing planet we called our home...she will be there for us with opened arms but, on her own terms this time around.
So, when we sit down with plenty of time on our hands and the opportunity to ponder the future, let us recognize that life has changed dramatically from even a few weeks ago. The changes are not lost on any of us, including the young children we depend on to help make the future a better place to live, thank goodness. I want their voices to be heard; shouted out loud and clear from every soapbox across the world! And, I want us all to listen intently and with open minds. After all, the poor marks issued to the last several generations should contribute to our willingness to accept their changes.
What has to change? EVERYTHING! The message is out there loud and clear. We must learn to respect. This means to respect everything and everyone around us. Without respect we are nothing. We need to love more and give love to others in order to receive love in return. We must embrace joy, be joyful ourselves, and ignite joy in others by taking great pleasure from life and the world we live in. These are not the simplest things to do. This may not provide a yield of wealth for us with golden coins filling our pockets, however, in and of itself, life will become greatly enriched.
As the new song entitled No Time For Love Like Now by singer and songwriter Michael Stipe implies, there is “No time for love like now. The lockdown memories still remain. When did this all begin to change? I am waiting for you. Whatever waiting means in this new place. I am waiting for you.”
Loving and being loved doesn’t mean we can’t get angry, loud, or shout from the rooftops!! For me, allowing the anger we feel to fire us up helps to create needed change. In these difficult times, there are no grounds for complacency. We’ve been complacent, fearful of, and tolerant of a man and his presidency that has only served him, one way or another, for far too long!
Fueled by the abhorrent stupidity, greed, and selfishness of so many, we grow weary of extending messages of hope and love fearing that through the death of so many good people, hope itself is fleeting; love is unattainable. But, isn’t the sacrifice for and the pure joy of helping others the ultimate forms of hope and love? Let us learn by example. Learn that by being vulnerable we become stronger and wiser. We must understand that our ‘hugs and kisses’ will soon be needed in abundance and visiting parents and friends should and will always be a great act of love.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and be strong! Get angry and help create positive change.
Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
