I choose to keep the faith

“I am not yet able to drive. I am under doctor’s instructions to keep activity to the bare minimum. In fact, today is the first time I am out of home.” “Wow,” I smiled. I was not sure how to react. Then she continued, “I nearly lost my life.”
From where I was seated, I sat up straight and looked at her keenly. She looked fine and healthy. We were all at the salon and as the hairdresser did final touches on her dreadlocks and as the manicurist paid attention to her neat nails, I listened some more.

Then the story came out. When the news of the coronavirus (Covid-19) came out, about 10 weeks ago, her 23-year-old son was one of the many Ugandan students stuck in China. She said words could not explain the nightmare she went through in weeks that followed. When stress from worrying and anxiety became unbearable, the dear mother on the verge of collapse, was hospitalised with half her body in paralysis. Because of the trauma and fast-deteriorating health, she was forcefully taken off any social media platforms and her phone kept away. And slowly she began to heal. Her story is just one that shows how this virus has changed the way we knew things.Last Saturday saw me taking a moment in one of the supermarkets to pick up some yogurt for the children. I was taken aback by the empty shelves in this huge establishment.
Almost out of the blue, our lives changed. It has not mattered who was who or where. Suddenly, the world became a crazy place. Disruption is an understatement. Everywhere I turn, there is either a washing container, a sanitiser or a bucket. We live in challenging times and with many of the public entities and schools under lockdown, the level of panic and anxiety can be quite something. How does a parent deal and wade the waters we are in? In the midst of frightening news left, right and centre, I choose to keep the faith and stay strong. I tell my children to keep strong as well as follow the guidelines. In the middle of all the stress and negativity, I maintain a positive outlook and I share the same with everyone within my vicinity. I neither vend nor parade fear, frustration or negativity. I am convinced that the same speed and swiftness with which it appeared, is the same way it will disappear. I believe that the virus is not the end of life. From this very crisis, we shall see an unprecedented growth and innovations. The world will be better because of today’s challenges.