March 18, 2020
1 Comment
It's the end of the world as we know it. And maybe that's a good thing - hear me out. I know it feels like we’ve entered the Zombie Apocalypse, and in a way we have – except we’re fighting against a virus and not the living dead. Every day something changes. It was less than a week ago when life where I am was pretty much carrying on ‘as normal’... heck we were even doing a photo shoot and having fun in the sun (all balmy 10 degrees of it!)... but then seemingly overnight every parent got that terrifying piece of news that schools were closing for 2 weeks following on from March Break – given that it was only Thursday evening at the time, that meant we not only had the whole weekend ahead to figure out how to entertain the kids, but 3 full weeks after that too… and that’s only if it ends there. At this point there is NO GUARANTEE of anything. Panic ensues. Supermarkets run out of toilet paper (someone please tell me why stores haven't been putting a limit per customer? Prioritising the elderly or less able bodied… somehow?) Flights are cancelled. Countries are closed. And now people are being quarantined. A living HELL you could say - you better hope you get on with the people you live with, right??
BUT… then I got thinking, as I started to speak to people and look at what’s happening online. Forget business – who’s going to think about buying a new outfit when they’re just going to be all dressed up with nowhere to go? I guess you can show your fans on social media? But what do they really care right now? It’s PJ day every day at the moment. Although I have to be honest and say right before the I got the news from school I went to the mall… it was pretty much a ghost town… and just amazing having the place mostly to myself… and for the first time in a very long time I bought myself something pretty just for the hell of it. And I’m happy I did. No idea when I’ll actually wear it, maybe supermarkets will become the new runways… but who cares, in that moment, it brought a smile to my face, and that's all that mattered. And from that moment on I started to think about things slightly differently. So many of us worry about the future… but what happens if you take ‘the future’ away? I mean, what if it’s not guaranteed? What if nothing is guaranteed? Scary as hell, right? Or, liberating? Because the truth is nothing has ever been guaranteed, we’ve just liked to believe it is.
Most people I know can’t work right now (excluding emergency workers, service workers, bankers, and anyone still conducting business from home etc.)… but a ton of businesses rely upon a different world. A world where lots of less important things seemingly matter. A world where we’re not just focused on what’s ‘essential’ but lots of frivolity as well. I wonder how many people will still worry about not having anything to wear as they stare at their packed wardrobes of which they maybe really only wear 5-6 items on rotation. I wonder how many people will worry about their hair, their skin, the parts of their bodies they don’t like… if no-one is really seeing them anyway. I wonder how many people will worry about their 10 year, 5 year, 1 year plans, if next week isn’t even certain. Personally I never really had those long term plans - something I’ve often received criticism over but that’s because every time I have made a plan, something HUGE came along and changed it all, so I’m kind of used to it now.
But then I got thinking (some more)... with so many of us at home focusing on the here and now, maybe we’ll start to realise what’s really important - love, friendship, family, nature. Ways in which we can have a good time with what we already have? There’s a novel idea. How about working on all those things we never seem to have time for? Painting, writing that blog, learning a new language, reading that book, teaching yourself how to make tiramisu... the list is endless, especially if you're not juggling kids haha but that's a whole other post!
And how about the positive impacts this could be making on our planet? Sure financially this is not a great time, especially for freelancers and small businesses, but at least we're all in it together (at least.) But on the positive side, if there are less flights, less travelling, less commuting, less production, just less overall… doesn’t that mean less negative impact on the planet too? I don’t have the actual answer but I think it’s a good question. Just maybe the air will get a little cleaner. Just maybe the oceans a little less polluted and less waste will be piling up. By giving the world a ‘time out’ we might actually help replenish it; if only by a little, and perhaps find some light at the end of the tunnel. Just maybe. Stay safe everyone. Hope to see you all on the other side.
Miss Matahari xx
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But then I got thinking (some more)... with so many of us at home focusing on the here and now, maybe we’ll start to realise what’s really important - love, friendship, family, nature. Ways in which we can have a good time with what we already have? There’s a novel idea. How about working on all those things we never seem to have time for? Painting, writing that blog, learning a new language, reading that book, teaching yourself how to make tiramisu... the list is endless, especially if you're not juggling kids haha but that's a whole other post! 
Tulin Sallabank
March 25, 2020
Loved the Zombie Apocalypse! Thank you for your insight. It is a thought-provoking time. Take good care and keep in blogging!