Katerina: “These are the first words I’m writing about the pandemic. I’ve been totally quiet about it so far, thinking. I try to take each day as it comes and process its gifts, whether they appear in the form of lessons or rewards. I try to learn my lessons. I try to feel worthy of my rewards. Some days, I manage well and stay strong. Other days, I hardly push through. Often the hours barely move, though the calendar shows that entire weeks have vanished in the blink of an eye.
Something is changing. We all can feel that. Everything is changing. Maybe without this change life would be unthinkable.
I remember over the past few years watching the plastic, the garbage, the pollution, and thinking, “This cannot continue much longer.”
Maybe being stopped was the nicest thing that could have possibly happened to us? Maybe this can save us from grinding down and pillaging the world we live in. Maybe this virus that is threatening our lives ironically can save us from extinction. The Earth doesn’t need us. We need the Earth and we should act like it. We are the guests, not the masters. We are part of the children of the Earth and now our Mother has sent us in timeout. Yes, I’m worried about people getting sick and dying, but also I’m worried about us missing the point of this timeout.
Mother Nature has the last word. We, the crown of creation, have been sent hiding by a single cell organism. We’re supposed to be smart. Let’s use the time to think about what kind of world we have created and what we want to build going forward. May we learn our lessons. May we be worthy of our rewards.”