ADAPTATION...

jaynie(76)

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“The oak is the strongest tree in the forest, but the willow bends and adapts. When the fires and storms hit, it is the willow that survives.” ― Kara Barbieri

We have read the tweets, seen the memes, contemplated a 101 articles, had endless online discussions, denied the headlines and done nothing short of eat, sleep and walk COVID19 for what seems like an eternity already - and in an almost frenzy like state which resembles herded sheep who spread the news of every coming whip to the butt – none of us actually knowing when it is coming or what it will feel like. Sure, there is endless speculation and opinion… (much of which I agree with)… but the ONLY thing that I can sit here and be sure of (in my personal capacity) – is the need for adaptation. I too, had my say... like many others...

It really doesn’t matter which way you slice this covid cake… the one thing that remains undeniable is that it is here to stay for… well, who knows how long… and we cannot live in "hen pens" indefinitely. At some point, we have to be let out. Yes, we can aim to shift the “curve”… but there is no magic wand here! For the foreseeable future, there is going to be “someone” who has it and spreads the love. So, as said by my eldest brother in a conversation a little earlier this evening – what we really need to be doing at this point is learning how to adapt. Until there is a vaccine, it aint going nowhere… so best we learn how best to protect ourselves, whilst we continue our lives.

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There are several aspects to this “adaptation”… addressing the physical immunity, which to my mind is the easiest! Gathering the words of the mass – I would say that high dosages of vitamin C and upping general immunity are pretty much “the best we can do”. – Ok, so let’s do that!

A second facet of adaptation, and to my mind a slightly more challenging one… is the emotional and mental kind. As a rule of thumb, I would consider myself a person that handles unusual levels of mental pressure and emotional strain pretty well… but I will admit that I have had several meltdowns since this whole ordeal began to unfold. The night our president announced our official lockdown, I literally could not cope. I am not sure why his deliverance affected me to the degree it did, but I went into a state of panic attacks and tears – I LITERALLY was gasping for air…. And it was scary! I think I simply drained myself emotionally that night and finally collapsed.

The days that followed after, I operated in an almost “auto mode” – doing what needed to be done… nothing more and nothing less! I went into domestic mode BIG TIME, in an almost instinctively motherly fashion. This “mode” too, began to exhaust me after the first few days and I grew frustrated because I was literally spending every waking hour trying to navigate this entirely new ocean. This too, caused me to crack and express!

I am not entirely sure what happened or exactly when it did – but on Tuesday something changed. I suddenly looked at this new sphere of online schooling and the fact that I was now spending a GOOD portion of my day playing “teaching assistant” and thought to myself… why not turn this whole thing on it’s head. The realisation that this could go on for a LOT longer than initially anticipated, spurred an unusual kind of inspiration within me.

The following day (Wednesday) – I woke up and I felt DRIVE! Something I have been lacking lately! You know how they say that when you inspire another, you inspire yourself…?! Well, I decided to use the opportunity to inspire my son and FNCK ME, is it working like a bloody charm! I told Jude that we were going to take his daily school tasks, as well as his “additional” activities every day and turn them into videos that we could publish to his Youtube and blockchain channels. EXCITED would be an understatement… in fact, one of the very FIRST things he said to me in response, was “that would be a good idea mommy, because I see a lot famous people talking about corona and helping other people to stay happy with their videos”. So, we started to document his online learning requirements, as well the other nonsense we get up to.

Distraction + Creativity = Enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm + Action = Purpose

Purpose + Determination = ADAPTATION!

None of us knows how long things will stay like this… yes, we ALL have our opinions, but really speaking it is all speculation. Let us not squander all of our time stuck between walls debating the “what if’s”… how about we shift it into something that fuels us rather than breeds fear.

To have a solid foundation of skepticism, -that is to say, the faculty of changing at any moment, of turning back, of facing successively the metamorphoses of life.”― Remy de Gourmont

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Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea
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