Of Masks and Men

Who could have envisioned that Vision 2020, as it was first conceived would bring, in its wake, the global pandemic.  Back when 2020 was a mark in the unforeseeable future, I had wondered if I would live to see its fruition.  Live I did and the here and now found me in the midst of a global scourge, mulling over a vision which died in its infancy. This just goes to show that one can make all sorts of lofty plans but Providence had the final say.

This is the beginning of a new year. We are still in the midst of this scourge. I kept myself exceedingly occupied with knitting, zooming and guitaring. I've learnt me a few tune, if you must know, not that I played them well.

If you keep an open mind about learning, you'd find so much to learn. Take guitaring, for instance. Did you know that family chords are a group of chords associated with a certain root chord which existed in harmony with one another. Even tunes need to be in harmony to create a melody. Simple as that was, I found the idea profound and mind blowing. And what's more, I discovered that if a certain key is outside your vocal range, why, you can transpose the chords to an appropriate key. This earth-shattering revelation was an epiphany of sorts. Suddenly, my world was filled with numerous possibilities.  But ~~~ <sheepish grins> ~~~ that's just from the perspective of a novice guitarist still struggling with the dastardly chords to force some semblance of melody out of it.

The lockdown will come to an end. Even the me of the homely kind, had the stir crazy moments too. A restlessness, most unbecoming overtook my sense of propriety and I became almost unreasonable.

On the other hand, Covid 19 did not have a serious impact on my life - YET!  I felt alienated from this pandemic, like a spectator watching a ball being kicked from one person to the next, feeling none of the exhilaration expected from the sport. 

When the pandemic first broke out, I thought about the Passover as recorded in the Bible. The story of Moses who brought the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.  The Egyptian Pharaoh had refused to let the Israelites go.

God sent the 10 plagues to force the Pharaoh's hand. The stubborn Pharaoh was unrelenting and ordered that all first-born of the Israelite slaves be put to death. Following this order, the Angel of Death struck. Every Egyptian first-born of the land died. It was the wrath of God.

I had wondered back when the pandemic first appeared if this too, was the wrath of God.

The global statistics were astounding. The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave  led with a whopping 26 million plus infected. Masked men became the new norm. 

Zoomies emerged from this abnormal situation. I'll have you know that I too became a Zoomie, joining three sessions a week for all kinds of everything.

Other than all of the above, we are all fine. The pandemic, at the moment, is still a spectator sport which we treat with a whole lot of respect. May it keep it's distance for all eternity,