How are you all doing during these Corona times?
These are new times, different times, times of transition, times of confusion, but also times of unprecedented cooperation in the midst of this epidemic.
These are times with our freedoms curtailed from above, freedom to meet with friends and family, freedom to go out, freedom to be in the park, go to the sea and all those things that we enjoyed partaking in.
Yet in our own homes, we still have freedoms and choices that we still get to decide.
I got up this morning, sat for a ten minute meditation to boost my inner strength, took a shower to keep my hygiene in place, squeezed two oranges and drank their juice for the daily supply of vitamin c, and cooked a healthy meal of fresh green beans and potatoes for my family.
By 10am all this has transpired already and I now sit down by my computer to communicate with you, with a sense of accomplishment for all that I did to sustain my physical and mental health.
Since Sunday March 15th, I am staying home in Jerusalem, as the cultural institution I work for, closed its doors not only to its visitors, but also to its workers and volunteers. Slowly but steadily many of my female friends too, have found themselves working from home, or not working at all, taking a break from work for as long as this crisis lasts.
Lots is at stake in our lives and livelihoods.
Now more than ever, I find that my daily choices in all matters matter even more!
I try to stick to a daily regime of meditation, cleanliness, healthy foods and time spent communicating. I what’s up call and text with family and friends checking in on their wellness, trying to make sure we all go through this together and come out of it strengthened.
Choices pertaining to food are even more essential now, to keep us all healthy in body and spirit.
I avoid sugars and sweet foods, and when the girls crave for sweets, I suggest they have a date, pomegranate seeds or honey with nuts.
Last night, we put some happy music on and danced and exercised in the living room past the news we heard on the radio on further closures.
The exercise class I was supposed to partake, at the park nearby, had to be cancelled too. As of today, March 18, we are only allowed to exercise in only small groups of 5, and not in any organized setting.
All group activities are cancelled. We are prohibited from leaving the house but for only essential reasons, as shopping for food or medicine.
These are hard times for all, there is no doubt about it. Still, I have a sense that through our cooperation, through digital technology, we can still keep weaving the threads that connect us all.
At this time of crisis the interconnectedness among us is clear for all to see.
We are one human family, we have to act together to heal from this pandemic, join forces and assist each other, connect the dots among us to see clearly, that now is the time for us to learn to cooperate for the benefit of our respective communities, countries and planet.
Two years ago at a family gathering in Greece we coined up a song on cooperation. Its musical refrain is bilingual having one sentence in Greek and one in English and it goes like this.
Synergasia einai h ousia, συνεργασία είναι η ουσία
is the Greek part of the refrain which means
Cooperation is the essence
and the English part of the refrain is
Cooperation is a co-creation.
At this time of crisis and transition let us stick together to co-create a global family, with global health, global peace, and yes global wellness and healing for all living creatures on this beautiful earth.
From Jerusalem with love,
Yvette Nahmia-Messinas