Life has changed all over the world and life has changed in my homeland, Grenada. On March 25th a “Limited State of Emergency” was declared, to take effect the following day. It was our last day at our Physical Offices. The doors of Grenada were slammed shut and we had no choice but to resort to our homes. It didn’t matter if our homes were uncomfortable or not, we were commanded to stay indoors. There was a looming threat outside lurking, hovering, waiting to strike, that threat was Covid-19.
Before our Limited State of Emergency was declared, schools were closed securing the nation’s children, our future. Now, we were all heading home. Employers wrapped up their activities and the doors of all other functioning entities or organizations, including churches were closed. We were told to go home and stay home. We had no idea what shape or form this Pandemic would take. We were waiting and watching, some of us were praying and trusting God to keep us safe. We wanted to stay safe, we shunned the thought of a community spread dilemma.
First case, second case, third case, fourth case, fifth case, it happened. COVID-19 hit us subtly but confidently, hoping for lawlessness to prevail permitting a welcoming and fertile environment to thrive in. Our health officials and the Royal Grenada Police Force, stood their ground and fought like they should. They sought to be vigilant, to communicate effectively to the masses and to spread hope. During this period, we even had a national day of prayer and praise.
We stayed home from March 26th to May. Some businesses that were closed, opened their doors again in May, others in June. Fast-forward to today July 19th, we are no more on lock down, there is no curfew but limitations as it relates to our social lives continues as we are far from being out of the danger zone. We now have three new cases to try to figure out, where did they originate? How come they were missed? Questions and no answers yet. Because of the dread reality of Covid, we must be creative in our thinking and in our efforts to keep healthy, especially mentally. I wish to inspire all of us to believe that we can conquer this disease together with each family focusing on their household. The main reason for this article is to remind us that even through this crises, we can ensure our lives are tasteful and enjoyable even while applying caution. We can be bearers of hope. Let’s set out to do things that would provide a level of social and creative stimulation with our families that would pull us away from the social media (facebook, Instagram, twitter etc.) addictive dull-drum and the addictive binging of television shows or movies. We also need to keep ourselves away from slumber and from other unproductive practices. It is a serious caution to be heeded, as we need every fiber of our being to stay healthy. COVID-19 will have further devastating effects on our societies (Grenada and abroad) if we are not careful.
So now, I wish to inspire you as I inspire myself. Hear are some things I will be seeking to undertake or continue to undertake to keep myself and my family healthy and to keep our lives tasteful. Some of these activities I need to pursue right away as we do not know what tomorrow may bring. Please feel free to submit your ideas in our comments section.
1. Visit the dentist and get teeth cleaned or address any other work that needs to be done.
2. Visit the beach (not too frequently) remembering to practice physical distancing and all other protective measures.
3.Invite other parents to participate in a book swap, limiting the need to purchase books. This is particularly useful if you have school-aged children in your home. This provides reading as an option of things to do at home.
4.Clean your home, redecorate, redesign; give it a fresh look.
5.Visit a waterfall with a small group of persons (no more than 20).
6.Take full advantage of online seminars, bible studies and worship sessions.
7.Start a kitchen garden or spend time taking care of house plants.
8.Learn a new language online.
9.Get involved in creative projects eg: use your old toilet paper and tissue roles to create something you can use, design a piece of clothing and sew it.
10. Create meals together; clean and decorate your porch and verandah, spread a blanket on the floor on a moonlit evening and have dinner together.
11.Play church, each family member given a role to play, song-leader, scripture reader, singer, preacher :).
12. Do something different with your hair or for men your beard; there is a beard thing going on these days. Soak your feet or retreat to a quiet place with lighted scented candles after a lovely bath.
13.Excercise, make it fun!
14. Finally, pray more together.
That’s it for now. I have already started this list and I hope to try every activity over the next month. Let’s see how it goes.
Did I inspire you to be more creative with your time?
