Smelling the roses

Undeniably, COVID-19 is horrific and has wreaked havoc on human lives — personally and professionally. I, like so many others, feel the enormous pressure of restrictions including bans on visiting friends and family, travelling, carrying out activities that in pre-COVID times were a given.

Because I live in Montréal, I am forced to comply with the rules and regulations our provincial government announces every other day, such as curfews and lockdowns. And because I follow rules, I have become utterly acquainted with the rooms of my home, its walls, its floors and everything in between.

COVID-19, however, has been somewhat of an enlightenment for me. Thanks to curfews and lockdowns and prohibited non-essential activities, it has forced me to focus on … well … me. How, you ask? It has given me the space and time to do the thing I’ve been trying to do for the longest time: write my book.

Without the ability to see family members, friends and colleagues — I first counted the days I worked from home and I realized I had to stop one month in, because, lightbulb moment!, we were in it for the long haul — I turned to the one thing I didn’t have (or truly make time) to do: write my book.

Full disclosure, my book is a saga novel I’ve been working on for quite a while. And I AM working on it, which is extremely exciting. Picture it, a Greek writing a saga that blends characters, lives and more. Oh, the drama! But, if I may say, it’s an intriguing story that begins in the WWII era and moves up well into the 1980s, spanning a few countries here and there. I’ll keep you posted on this, no worries.

What I have finished is a memoiristic lyrical book, a poetry collection in Haiku form (in case you missed it, check out my blog post “The Spartan Haikuist” to give you insight into why I love this style). It took about six months and it’s now in the last stages of production.

All this to say is that inasmuch as the pandemic has been everything a human should not have to face, I believe it has helped put things in perspective for many. Some individuals succeeded in ridding themselves of toxic relationships and environments, others achieved personal objectives like getting back into shape by running (or some other physical activity).

And at the end of the day, I believe things happen for a reason. COVID-19 gave us a reason to stop and smell the roses in today’s world of “Go, go, go!”

Perspective. It’s important. Until next time….

P.S. Can we all stop saying "social distancing" since we CAN still connect thanks to technology and by staying two metres apart? It's really "physical distancing." Thanks :)