These are certainly strange and unpredictable times. If you thought 2020 was bad, if the start of 2021 is anything to go by, this year may just be worse.
Not only have we lost lives but we have lost the values of our culture and ubuntu. Covid-19 has changed the way we meet, the way we grieve and the way we say goodbye to those who have died.
And so, if you are around to read this piece, I urge you to send love and appreciation above. Tell those close to you how you love them for you do not know what will happen the next few minutes. Make peace with your enemies unless you care not about peace. Enjoy your money now for you are not sure what tomorrow will bring.
Take good care of yourself because this year again, many of us will find ourselves in isolation – not only to protect ourselves from infection, but also out of the fear of the unknown.
Readers, I am in pain.
As is the norm over the December break, I went home in the Eastern Cape. This time, however, it was difficult to mix with old buddies and people in general.
I had to be on my own on many occasions. I was unable to hug and kiss my beloved nieces and nephews. It was difficult to catch up with old friends.
And I apologise for diving straight into these matters without first greeting or wishing you the best for the new year. I did this as a response to the trauma, pain and anxiety I have seen and personally experienced.
People are perishing.
Even though people were dying last year, this year fresh blows were dealt with news of death coming just about every day.
Those who are alive should spread the message of love. We should say thank you for another day
As I arrived in the Western Cape, calls and messages of death were a constant on my mobile. I had to switch off the phone at night just to have a sleep.
The new normal is that we are safest when we are in a seclusion and we have to accept it.
But it has to be said that people can’t stop breaking the Covid protocols because it is their nature. However, that has to quickly change. We should not expect to be policed about our own health.
There is a talk that the province is now at its peak. That is good and bad. It means people are still going to die in numbers but again it gives hope that this might pass soon.
Perhaps in the next few days, we will hear good good news. But with numbers going up daily, I guess a lot of bad news is on our doorsteps.
We are in a really difficult situation where people are not burying their loved ones. We are in a rare time where Africans are no longer practising their cultures they would wish. This is a time where Christians and Muslims and others cannot practise their funeral rituals.
This is a cruel time when our health workers are most vulnerable. It is a difficult time for them and it is concerning how we treat them.
I know there is a vaccination its way, and while there is reluctance from different corners of the world it does offer some hope.
Let me be the first to say I am in, to kick out Covid-19. For as long as there is validation and approval of the vaccine, I am taking it.
Let’s be safe please. I have hope that this too shall pass and we will forget about it like any other diseases that we once faced.
Happy New Year to you all.