How are you today? How are your neighborhood and your city handling the pandemic? Are you meeting up with friends and/or family online? I enjoy visiting with my family. Once a week, at a scheduled time, we meet online to keep in contact with each other. It makes me very happy to SEE they are well and adapting to this lockdown! Honestly. Please reach out to those you love if you aren’t already. Listening to music is also helpful. Did you catch Andrea Bocelli’s 24-minute concert this weekend? Oh my! Powerful music and the visuals of empty city streets in mid-day. Amazing. https://youtu.be/huTUOek4LgU
Here is a mood poem I am working on. It should give you a feeling of drama and anticipation:
Dry Unwanted Parts
There is a pile
back by the fence
winters clippings cross stacked
It waits.
It waits–
for gas
for the snap of a match
The sky to scroll back
the dead to rise
the heavy unable to move
the thin blown like leaves
1) an observed joy- I’m feeling thankful for our city of givers. People are generous and very helpful, they really are what a good neighbor should be. I will not forget these months.
2) a real concern- Two of our apartments were undergoing renovations in February. The pandemic has slowed the process as you can imagine.
3) a personal challenge- This week we are preparing packages of home cleaning supplies for our tenants that live in apartments, and expanding our shelter to house two more families while keeping to social distancing. It is a challenge. If we work hard we may have a total of 4 new spaces for 4 families who are experiencing homelessness available by the end of April. We are a small non-profit, and this attempt feels BIG. However, I have learned never to underestimate my co-worker’s abilities. We are diverse and creative in our approach, resourceful, well connected and very focused.
4) one personal success (no matter how small)- Although there is much to do at work, I am learning to relax when it is time to relax. Guessing by the time I become a pro at this work from home thing, we will be back in the office. LOL
5) a random thought (no matter how silly)- Even though I am not considered a high-risk individual, I wish I could know if I had COVID-19 and possess the antibodies via the blood test. Curiosity really. However, I do not believe our local hospital or testing stations would like a body mucking around asking questions. I’ll just stay at home.
Here is my mood today illustrated by a meme. A visual example of how I felt entering a fresh new 2020 and (visually) how I may feel leaving it.
Take care of your beautiful self! -Shannon
Like my writing? Want to hear me read my poetry? Of course, you do. Please visit https://chickadeeproductions.bandcamp.com/releases and download some today. Only $1.00 a poem!
shannon p. laws 