We are caught between the insanity of the world falling apart, changing, evolving, transitioning

And a new way of living, seeing, being, doing, having, wanting, creating, making, building 

By nature we are industrious and we get lost when we must just “be” instead of “do”.

The older we get, the more apt we are to understand the concept of just being, however we are no more likely than a 7 year old to be able to just sit and wait and enjoy the moment when everything we have known, is evolving and seems to be disintegrating before our very eyes.

I often use checkerboard floors in my artwork. It has a feeling of Alice and Wonderland fantasy to me. This drawing expresses some of my emotions and feeling of fantasy gone topsy turvy as not only the floor is checked and off balance, but the walls and the ceiling as well. Windows appear on all four surfaces and eyes float in bubbles that can escape through the windows to the outside; my body must stay in, however my eyes can escape. They are my connection with the outside world now.

I remember the 2008 great recession very well, it changed my life in many ways and it was a challenge to find some balance and stability. How will this pandemic change our lives and what will life be like from here on out? It is going to take time to figure it all out. It does wake me up at night. Old fears swirl through my mind and even though I know I will come through it and that I have a strong support system where we love and care for each other, I know it will take adjustments and change. I keep wanting to figure it all out, but it’s too early to know. This is a whole new struggle for the world, one that has not been seen in most of our lifetimes. 

So, what can I do? What can we do? 

Be healthy, take care of ourselves and those we are isolating with, be available to those who need support if we can and I can make more art to stay as balanced as I can. We cannot give in to the paranoia that some are spreading. We must give our scientist, medical professionals and leaders a chance to find the ways that make it possible for us safely move forward. We cannot do it on our own, we must work together to come through this challenge and create the new world that is coming. And that is not going to happen overnight. So just like you, I must be patient, be open and aware of what comes next, and above all else do what we can to make it through these challenging times.

Let’s do our best to have a happy day.

Thanks for reading,

Cheryl

Cheryl McDonald is an artist and illustrator who follows the musings of her soul which is named Georg. Some of her art is inspired by Georg and so gets the credit for it’s creation.