After getting upset, what next?

It started like a joke. I remember walking to the small airfield in Arua. There was a small jerrycan with a mixture of jik water. I washed my hands while joking with the officer on duty. As days went by and the news of the virus that was hitting the world spread, things got serious.
Suddenly, the head of state was making the announcement and, boom, a lockdown was announced. Key question! What are you doing about it?! How are you coping? Where will you be at the end of the season? One of the most intriguing things for me is to study the different groups of people and their views on what is going on.

Firstly, there are people at the forefront of the battle. Daily, they put their own lives at risk. Often times, I’ve wondered what exactly goes through their minds. May God bless the work of their hands and sustain them through this time.
Then there’s the groups of people who are almost going about business like nothing changed. I normally pass by the market and see how the market men and women go about their business. The fish monger got my attention as he went about cleaning his work place while whistling.

There are complainants, especially on social media platforms. They speak a lot all the time about almost every topic.. They are expert speculators who see all the problems the technocrats are not seeing. They offer all manner of advice. A big chunk of them know so little; they especially don’t know that they don’t know.
Then there are typical opportunists-the ones who by nature know how to milk opportunities out of all circumstances. They are keen and quick. They creating opportunities out of the pandemic. One friend of mine told me she is saving thrice what she used to save before. She has expanded and created new income streams.

There is another group of people. They have slept and they don’t want to sleep anymore. They have watched movies and are now tired. They cannot wait for the lockdown to end. They promise they will not desire for sleep again.
What are you doing with this extra time of forced leave? What is constantly running through your mind? After the initial anguish of the announcement of more days, after getting upset, what next?

Are there positive possibilities out of the lockdown? Is it possible to be growing and to grow despite the challenges? What ideas can you develop that will make you a better and more fulfilled person? What things did you previously overlook that you can now focus on and grow? May this be a time of renewal, re- energizing and re-directing.