Just get up and do something, that is all. Some people say show up, but they mean the same thing. Showing up and getting things done can be quite a commitment, but that is the point, right? Good things rarely come easy and as the saying goes “nothing grows in a comfort zone”, in other words, daring to do is tough, but it pays, I suppose. Well, in telling you this, I might be speaking to myself and revealing my soul to you. I just realized that it has been over a month since I posted something on my blog. The last time I did, Coronavirus was still ravaging this beautiful place we call home, borders and airports were still closed and, social distancing was re-introduced in the common English vocabulary 17 years after its first known use both in the dictionary and in real life.
Our lives as contemporary humans are apparently more centred around convenience than around worrying about what might happen in the future.
Not like the effects of the virus have stopped, but now we have become desensitized, there are talks of freedom; freedom to not wear masks and all sorts of things. Our lives as contemporary humans are apparently more centred around convenience than around worrying about what might happen in the future. Simply put, the survivors are shouting at the monster to come for their lives too! Quite honestly, this inconsistency and perplexing nature in human behaviour keeps me up at night, more than the COVID-19 situation itself does. In addition to the raging streets, a financial war was also being waged at home, and my landlady was planning to increase rent fees. Life! And yet here we are, all those things, still the same. I guess Jean was right when he said — plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose — literally translated as, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose – the more things change, the more they stay the same
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
Quick update, I left the house. And the fact that you are reading this now, it means I am quite well, at least. The mind is a funny thing. While all this was happening, I kept thinking of the next small thing I could do. What can I change? How better can I be at effecting change even in the most miniscule form? Because seriously the little we can, we must do. Upon this sober reflection, I was drawn to some early memories of my late teenage years. I recalled an old man, a friend, in our neighbourhood. Tall guy, lanky legs, a face that was wrinkled from all the wars and the good sceneries it had seen, making it impossible to distinguish between a smile and a frown when he talked. This appearance always made his face look like he was surprised at everything in life.
With sweats dripping across the gutters formed by his wrinkles..
One more thing, he was a deep sleeper. It could have been his frail body, but man, when he was up, he used to work his behind off. This person, a dear friend, he had a different way of doing things. I remember vividly one early morning, three days to New Year’s. I caught a glimpse of him emphatically knocking out one of the front-facing windows to his bungalow. Ideally, due to his age, I should have joined immediately, but I did not know what was going on! I understood the knocking, debris, and everything but I didn’t know why it was happening. I gazed intensely at the house and observed no visible cracks, but this man, old as he was, never stopped slamming the wall next to the window in a bid to lax it. Astonished by the activity, I asked, “Mzeyi Zaake, what’s wrong?” With sweats dripping across the gutters formed by his wrinkles, listening was a price he could not pay at that moment.
I do not wish the new year to find me in the same state as I was a year ago.
Then finally, the sixth sense notified him that someone was standing in his shadow. While placing his hammer on the debris-filled floor, he used the back of his hand to wipe his sweaty face. With a fading smile, I asked, what is happening? Can’t you see that the new year is on the horizon? He responded. I do Mzeyi except I still do not understand why you are hammering down the house, I retorted. He laughed and said I am not knocking down the house Ntonio,I am just removing the window. Why? I queried. I want to shift it a little bit up. I do not wish the new year to find me in the same state as I was a year ago. At least, let me try to re-align this window with my neighbor’s house. That would be enough change for me this year. The little we can, we must do; even if it means readjusting the window every year. I was speechless. Mind you; this was the fourth year he was shifting that window, so said the village chairwoman.
The little things we can, we must do.
Speaking of changes and little things, in case you have not noticed yet, we did a few tweaks with the blog, and I would love to take you around. Apart from the well graphically designed homepage and menu display, to make your experience here worthwhile, we introduced a preview. Now you can have a sneak peek of the articles before you get to see the details – clearly WYSIWYG – only good stuff! Is that all? No! A Listen section was added to create an ambience where you “sit with me” to feel every emotion behind the words. Emotion and soundtracks. Everything! You really don’t want to miss any blog! The current times are indeed hard and strange but let’s move and change things.
The instantaneous effect might be microscopic but keep moving and soon enough the compound effect will make it all worth your while. Keep moving!!!