I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Month: March 2020
We are all facing similar
concerns and anxiety.
Maybe today we could be
a little kinder. Maybe today
we could be a little quieter.
Maybe today we could all
smile at a stranger. Even at
a social distance, a smile can
help curb the uncertainty we
all are feeling.
Maybe today we can look
past what we have come to
know and find just a little
more beauty.
Maybe, today, we can see
past the headlines and know
the people who are grieving
and suffering are people just
like we are.
Maybe we can all make
tomorrow a little brighter.
03/16/2020 j.g.l.
Posted on March 15, 2020 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
My Friday morning was spent stocking up on real groceries in the pandemic pandemonium that has taken hold of this planet. I even took a shopping list: ingredients for favourite recipes, and a lot of staples (yes, I even purchased more toilet paper).
Then I waited in a horrendously long line with everybody else.
I decided Friday that I wasn’t going to listen to the radio. I bought a newspaper, but it rest in my packsack the entire day. I caught a bit of the shit on social media, but tried to ignore what I knew was going on everywhere. I certainly knew nothing was getting any better.
Saturday, I continued to tune out.
No radio, no television.
More time. Less worries.
I needed a break from all that has been going around me, from hearing about what everyone else is doing, and being told what I should or shouldn’t do.
I already knew I was concerned, but knowing more about what was happening wasn’t going to make me any more aware, or comfortable, or curb the anxiety I was trying to avoid.
Today I’m not going to listen to the public radio news program I usually enjoy on Sunday mornings. What’s going to be said that I haven’t already thought?
I might glance through Friday’s newspaper, but more than likely I’ll continue reading a book a made a good dent on yesterday. Or I’ll listen to some music. Or nap.
It will be that kind of day on that kind of weekend.
Some might call it self-isolation. I’ll call it self-preservation.
03/15/2020 j.g.l.
Posted on March 14, 2020 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
It’s not always easy
to find the right words.
The words we use, the
words we choose,
leave shadows over time.
It takes time
to get past the past,
to sort out emotions
and reservations.
It takes patience
and faith to accept
who you are
and what we can be.
j.g.l.
