Day 42 – Lock Down Diaries

Day 42 – Lock Down Diaries

 

REBEL WITH A CAUSE

“In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.”
Phil Ochs

If I had to summarise my mindset during lockdown it would be the above quote.

I made a conscious choice to keep making the world around me pretty. My home, my garden, my room, my office – even my children! To me, every plant planted was an act of rebellion – an action taken to show my faith and hope for a better future for all.

It was not about spending a lot of money or not – but where I felt the need I also didn’t let my fear or perception of lack stop me from buying items deemed “essential” by government.

Where I saw fresh flowers in my garden, I picked even the smallest one to display and brighten up my home. I made sure to bath with candle light and bubble bath every night. I cooked delicious, home hearty meals to bring my family together.  If I saw a pot or a nice little bathroom carpet and I felt it would lift the room – I allowed myself the “indulgence”. not to escape but to put a peg in the ground to say:

• “I will not give up hope”
• “I will not stop dreaming”
• “I will keep expressing myself and the matriarch and keeper of my family”
• “Amidst difficult times, I will keep forging on and I will not give up on hopes and dreams of a better future for all”
• “I will keep my family focused on the positive”

If this titanic is sinking – the band will be playing! Fully dressed, fully clothed and ready to serve with dignity while doing what we love! The one movie that made a massive impact on me as a parent is “Life is Beautiful” where the actor Roberto Benigni plays the role of a father who manages to guide his son through the holocaust by pretending to play a game with him. Despite having his own fears, he never gave up, he always made a plan and he used his very last breath to protect his child – he met his death with a smile. His son never saw him give up, fear or play the martyr.  They are children and protecting their emotional state regardless of the external circumstances and our own fears should be our main priority.

I hope you find ways to rebel against the current state of affairs. not because you are not seeing truth – but because you are focused on creating a future from hope and not let your decisions be controlled by fear. This is a powerful time to show your character, to teach your kids powerful life lessons and how you model the handling of this challenge will motivate and set them up for life.

This is what I did to created a sacred living space for us all – to scare the scary monsters away and to keep us in our hearts and focused on each other and our hearts filled with gratitude.

Stillwestay.