Over a month ago, I fled New York City to the safe haven of my aunt’s home in Ashburn, Virginia. I was hoping to rid my anxiety through escapism; however, I soon realized that anxiety is my shadow, and everywhere I go, there it is. As the uncertainty of my return home builds, I cast aside every voice in my head that judges my emotions. I cast aside all of the guilt I have for not being able to focus on work. I cast aside every feeling of “I should” and replace it with “I need.”
At this moment, I need to feel scared. At this moment, I need to feel anxious. At this moment, I need to be in my feelings of uneasiness because the current world we are living in is far from normal. I crave the blissful feeling of a life without worry. The routine lifestyle has become a fading privilege of the past.
The routine lifestyle has become a fading privilege of the past.
Through my disarray of emotions, a little voice whispers in my ear, “In times of uncertainty, anything is possible.” My lips slightly curve into an ironic smile. This was my ongoing quote for 2019. 2019 was my personal shit show of a ground-breaking life change. My life had flipped upside down after the end of a tumultuous relationship.
For the first time in my life, I was forced to face my worst fears of being alone. To my surprise, I not only survived, but I also thrived. Through this time of uncertainty, I fell in love again. I fell in love with my solitude. I learned to cultivate happiness on my own terms instead of exchanging it with people that do not belong to me. I am now at a level of joy, peace, and freedom that I created. I would have never awakened to this possibility if my world didn’t shake. My faith of a promising future was restored during this period of uncertainty.
We are groomed to prepare for the worst, but in doing so, we forget to hope for the best.
Coronavirus has uprooted our lives and continues to escalate our fears daily. The unpredictability of the future outshines any good we can grasp onto. We are groomed to prepare for the worst, but in doing so, we forget to hope for the best.
The world hit the pause button with no clues on when it will resume. We are forced to sit with our thoughts and reflect on our lives from the inside out. What we believed mattered to us now seem so trivial, like extravagant vacations. What we took for granted, we soon realize we cannot live without, like time spent with our loved ones.
Life will eventually resume again, but our way of living will never be the same. I have faith that our way of living will be better. For the first time, we are all united fighting the same infectious enemy. This is solidarity. For the first time, governments are prioritizing human life. This is accountability. For the first time, we must follow the rules of social distancing to prioritize the lives that are most at risk of the virus. This is compassion.
I have faith that we will rise to our potential.
I hope we shatter our rose-colored glasses and tap into our purpose of making the world a better place. I have faith we will rise to our potential. We will pull through this darkness and come out the other side as kinder, stronger, and better versions of ourselves.
I have faith in the goodness of humanity because, in times of uncertainty, anything is possible.