I know you all feel it….

I know you all feel it. That we are living in some kind of fantasy. None of this seems real. In fact it seems like the plot of some dystopian future, or rather the backstory of one. I know for myself this doesn’t seem real. We’re prisoners in our own world, prisoners and banished from our very lives. Is this how others have felt through history when they find themselves in unprecedented times? Does anyone else feel how bizarre this all is? Does anyone else feel guilty that they’re not doing more? Guilty for any moment where you’re happy and not feeling terrified? Is it just me? Am I alone in this? I don’t think so. I think we are all struggling to accept that THIS is reality. That it’s not a dream, not a story. That the lights aren’t going to go on and we find ourselves sitting in a movie theater. This is real. I know it doesn’t feel that way.

Each day I wake up and think what next? What new fear, new threat is going to rise up and strike out at my security and sanity? When can I go back to my life? When can I be me again? When will I be safe? So much of “reality” has been peeled away to reveal that we’ve been living a safe and happy lie. So many things laid bare into a sudden and stark light and we can no longer look away and pretend. We can’t pretend that racism is not real. That sexism and hate are not rampant in our country. That we are not being torn apart by differing beliefs. That we are a country at war with itself.

I want to just close my eyes and wish it all away. I can’t.

We’re all waiting to wake up, waiting to go back to our “real” life. Back to the “before time”. But we’re NOT ever going to. We’re not WAITING to live again. This isn’t a momentary pause in our lives. We are STILL alive, STILL living. Everything we do shouldn’t be about when we get to “live” again, but about how we get to live right now. About making this the best life we have. It’s about accepting this bad, this negative truth is REAL. Our time on this planet is short and precious. Don’t waste this time waiting for life to return to normal before you start dreaming and planning and working towards a future. In changing the world into the one you want. The one we all deserve.

Right now we’re all coping, we’re all finding ways to survive. We’re living in a weird limbo where time doesn’t matter and yet everything is happening at once. We feel immobilized and in some ways we are. But in so many others were aren’t. We have TIME. We can use that time to refocus, refine and plan out a new path for ourselves.

So instead of acting like your life has been set on hold, use this time to reinvent you. To clear the cobwebs out of your life that you never had time to do before. We’re not on hold, we’re gearing up for greater things. We’re the truth so we can move forward into a brighter future where there are no more lies and pretense. Use this time to start the project you’ve always wanted. Use this time to plan out how you’re going to live that life you’re missing so much. A lot has been taken from us, but we’ve been given a gift. We’ve been given the gift of time. Use it wisely.