Love and tentacles
We live in strange times. Many of us have had our lives put on hold for an uncertain amount of time to come. For some, it is beyond uncertainty and into life-undermining threat. I don’t know how self employed people who have lost their incomes are supposed to survive at the moment. So I want to start by acknowledging that the level of disruption varies and that for some of us this time is inconvenient, and for others it is disastrous.
If you can buy food and have shelter and basic amenities, you’re in a good position right now. It might not feel like a good position, and the fear of the virus and future uncertainty may well be taking a toll. But if your basic needs are met, you’re doing well. It’s important not to lose sight of this, and not to imagine that the stress of lockdown is the biggest problem anyone has right now. If you came to lockdown with pre-existing mental health problems, if you are living with an abuser or lockdown is triggering because you’ve an abuse history, it is going to be tough right now.
Beyond dealing with the basic necessities of day to day life, it is impossible to plan at the moment because we don’t know what’s coming. Big ideas are on hold. Life goals, career moves, exams, education – all that normal stuff we are to want and work on, is out of the equation. With life stripped back in this way, we may have to square up to all kinds of things. Who we are, who we live with, and what we want may become more visible to us and those may not be easy or comfortable insights. We also get opportunities to step up and take care of other people.
This changed perspective on ourselves and our lives gives us reason to rethink everything. What have we lost that we genuinely valued? How much of it filled our days while giving us little or nothing of any quality? What do we miss? What do we want? How do we want our lives to be once all of this is over?
If you have enough income to be secure, please consider the people who do not. Foodbanks need our support. If you have friends who worked in the creative industries or were self employed, check in and see if they can afford food. In America, loss of jobs means loss of healthcare and some people are in deep crisis because of this. Anyone you know whose work was precarious before all this happened, is likely in real trouble now. Your help could be a matter of life and death.
If you don’t know anyone who is in trouble, and who you could help directly, look around to see who else you might help. Now is a good time to buy ebooks, to commission art, pay for music. If creative people are keeping you sane during lockdown, consider that most of them are out of work right now and not getting paid to stay home. It is a good time to take care of whatever and whoever you love.
We’re ok as a household, but we’re trying to help others where we can. We’re particularly trying to help Walter and Edrie of Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys. They’ve seen their entire household income wiped out for the foreseeable future. Tom is offering to draw your pet as an Elder God and will send you a massive file that you can print on anything! (T shirt, mug, pillow, lunchbox(?) make a huge print…etc) if you are able to send $125 via the old Paypal to them – we’ll send the details. If you don’t have a pet? Tom will draw your RPG character or… something! Leave a comment if you are interested.
What you do for your own amusement and comfort right now, could save someone else’s life.
