Lockdown 19

Lockdown Day 19 - 14 April 2020 

Good songs have a way of sticking and recurring like a maxiplay on repeat. And the only way to get it out of your head is to either keep on singing it out loud until it leaves or to start singing another one over and over. Problem is, that one will also stay a while. Today I started out with Dancing Queen while clocking up a mean 7km on my walking "route" and after breakfast, while sorting that last cupboard I got it out by listening to podcasts. For a while I had 'song-silence'. And this, for me, is very rare. It is a lot like losing your muse while writing a book. No matter how good a writer you are or how well your notes are organised, if the muse went fishing, the muse ain't coning back without a fish. Yes, you can continue writing, but right brain writers like me just waffle on. And when you read what you wrote in your muse-less state, you feel like those America's Got Talent judges slapping the 'x' to reject a performance. The song silence extended into another shopping stint at the pharmacy during a turrential downpour, figuring nobody would be this brave. As Simba from The Lion King said, "I laugh in the face of danger". After dinner we played Tangram to get the student in the house on a good brain wave, and suddenly my anthem was back, just like that. And now, ending the day with a mug of hot spicy Glühwein, 

I resolve to dance to the anthem tomorrow. Good night all my fellow locked down people, I leave you with the words of Jesus from John16:33b, "take courage, I have overcome the world." 

Oh yes, God's got this.

Lockdown 18

Lockdown Day 18 - 13 April 2020

Cleaning house doesn't have to be a schlep. It can be therapeutic. Especially when you can catch up on your favourite youtube posts. Today I want to give a shout out for friendship - the family kind and the friend kind;  the kind you will walk barefoot to Timbuktu for. The daily 'non-virus' music, jokes and inspirational teachings you share with me just brighten up my day and before I know it the house is spick and span! Wonder what we would do without internet and social media in a time such as this? My dad used to say "no man is an island". This has never been truer than now. According to grammarist this means that "no one is truly self sufficient - everyone must rely on the company and comfort of others in order to thrive." We need each other and thanks to all the platforms in media it is actually, and of course virtually possible to stay in contact with our people. 

It is now more than ever we need encouragement from each other to stay faith-filled, on track and focused. So today, I had two very impromptu conversations over whatsapp video calls, and both were heart warming, leaving me with a feeling of contented joy. To belong is one thing but to survive on that is completely different. It becomes the new normal, the status quo of living life as a part of something much bigger. I know for sure we are here to glorify God, who most definitely created us with a plan in mind. That is why, with our ear pressed to His heart we can rest confidently in His love, because He's got this. 

Lockdown 17

Lockdown Day 17 -  12 April 2020 

The day started off with a peaceful quiet. I woke with the first sun struggling through the tree, casting a little rainbow into the room. After church on youtube my daily coffee infused sun-bath was rudely interrupted by my Chinese neighbours' screaming match that made Gordon Ramsey look good on a bad day. In a weird way it was the catalyst for the rest of the day, a sort of call to 'halt' for a moment. 

So I decided today would be my "pause" day. Pause to reflect on Jesus that said He would rise from the dead. Pause to fully understand how the empty grave made my life full. Pause to realise my total human iniquity in the face of a Friend who chose to lose His life so I could have mine. But because He did this I cán live and I cán dance! This is precisely why, from today, I won't count the days, but rather try my flawed human best to make the days count! I hope for fruitful work days and joyful play days. Rainy days and sunny days. Soul flying days and earthgrounding days. Days with a warm heart and salty tears. And days with a spirit so large, the spirit world will take notice of the Lion of Judah who has my family's back. And yes, mostly days knowing God's well and truly got this. 

Lockdown 16

Lockdown Day 16 - 11 April 2020 

And so our Prez announced the decision that Lockdown is to be extended. As Suzelle would put it, "There's it". We suspected, secretly hoping it wouldn't happen. But it did. This means our 3 weeks start again. In total it will be 35 days. 7 days short of 42. Nearly enough time to see if our new lifestyle of social distancing will stick. The Prez said there are whole communities who disregard lockdown procedure, not only endangering their own lives but the lives of their family and friends too. We can only hope this time round they will have heard. In the meantime we need to adjust once again. Is it just me or is this déjà vu? The ancient quote of Day 2 returns to my mind:

"Chop wood, carry water, walk the earth." This is what we did and in no time we reached day 14. 

So today I started off by walking 8000 steps while it rained outside. Our dog food needed replenishment so I set off a little later with my "terrorist" outfit to get a few things. 

I was met with a busier than usual scenario and silently wished the vet shop had earlier trading times. 3 hours later after spraying all the groceries and pet food, stripping, showering and washing my clothes I decided shopping is at its best a harrowing experience. To go out even more so. I wonder if I will ever be able to go back to how things were in a social context, all the while hearing the first few lines of my new anthem playing over and over in my head, "Friday night and the lights are low, looking out for a place to go, where they play the right music, getting in the swing, you come to look for a king." 

Tonight my version looks like this: Friday night and the lights are on, going nowhere is the way to go, playing my own music, dancing along, knowing I've found THE King! 

Yes, this King gives me music to dance to and faith that all will be well, because He's got this!

Lockdown 15

Lockdown Day 15 - 10 April 2020 GOOD FRIDAY

Today I am choosing to postpone my reaction to the Lockdown extension in view of Good Friday. Not because I don't respect our Prez but because I respect Jesus more. For some reason I woke this morning at 04h00,  moments before a storm broke and it started to rain. I was instantly reminded of the darkness and earthquake the Bible tells of when Jesus exhaled his last breath. In the shadow of this picture it was as if the virus did not exist but rather a silent witness of a spirit world we have no clue of. One that is governed by a completely different set of rules than the world as we know it. That is why I offer up a prayer for all in this Lockdown to look past what's before them and find solace and salvation in the arms of our Risen Redeemer. 

So today I was an onlooker into the relationships closest to me, silently displaying my shortcomings as a human being, but also showing off the amazing grace and mercy I am afforded. I vow to still my soul and let my spirit tune in. 

Speaking of a tune, all day long I had ABBA's Dancing Queen playing in my mind, and I kept on wondering why this song in this day of all days. I even googled the karaoke lower key version, obviously bringing back lots of memories. And somewhere during the day it hit me: I should dance every day as if I were the dance floor queen, and know that real joy is there for the taking, every minute of every day. So my new anthem will be Dancing Queen. Let's start to dance to the rhythm of heaven today as an act to remind us that God's got this! 

Lockdown 14

Lockdown Day 14 - 9 April 2020 

Free will - in Lockdown? Well I suppose it depends how you look at it. Anatomically your free will is located in the front of the Corpus Callosum (connects the left and right hemispheres) in the brain. All thoughts, external personal comments as well as internal conversations first go via your neurons (brain cells acting as pathways) to the free will, where it either gets accepted or rejected. The accepted thought travels to certain parts of the brain where it is pondered, nurtured and stored. The rejected thought literally vanishes like a puff of hot air! So it makes sense that you seriously think about what you are thinking about! So, when I once again stood in front of my cupboard today, I was conscious of the fact that two thoughts were competing for their existence. One was, “Do I really need to do this TODAY, when winter is still a month away?” and the second was, “Put on the music you’ve not enjoyed in months and JUST DO IT and think how great you will feel once it’s done!” Yesterday I fed the first thought. Today I fed the second. Although both had merit, the second was a looming necessity with great reward: finding anything easily, enjoying the luxury of a clean critter free cupboard, also being able to whip out my boots at a moment’s notice without wondering who have been living in them (aptly said by my coffee friend Michelle)! Now that the Prez has announced we are in this until end of April, I find myself in front of the fridge: Thought one, “Glühwein!” and thought two: “Brownies!”  While both have merit....... I suspect you know what I'm thinking! Either way, we are going to bed tonight with a lot to digest (a combo of Glühwein and Brownies is going to take ages). 

After picking up a little feather again, I know for sure:  as long as we take this to God, we know there will be an answer, there will be a way and there will surely be provision. Look up, look to our Almighty Provider, because He’s still got this!

Lockdown 13

Lockdown Day 13 - 8 April 2020

Sudden cold temperatures in April is the Free State's way of reminding me to get my winter wardrobe ready and unpacked. I yanked open the cupboard and stared at all my day clothes I haven't been wearing the last 13 days. Another tick in the truth box. I simply closed the door and decided to decide tomorrow.  Instead I decided to try out slow living today. I started with my regular stretches and strength routine, adding extra breathing for good measure. Breathing has a very important role to play in this Lockdown scenario. It lowers our stress and anxiety levels and helps focus the brain on the here and now. A very good exercise to do when you feel your housemates are playing space invaders with you, is to breathe in deeply through the nose with a closed mouth. Hold for a few seconds and then breathe out through the mouth. Do this 3 times. This way of breathing releases serotonin which is our happy hormone (now retaliation won't be an option so put away the Darth Vader looks). You can use the same technique with a few tweaks if sleep evades you at night: I call it the 4:7:8 principle. First, breathe out all the air in your lungs while lying in a sleeping position. Then you breathe in through your nose with mouth closed for 4 long, slow counts. Then hold for 7 quick counts after which you breathe out through your mouth for 8 counts. Repeat 4 times or until you fall asleep. It really works! You can also combine the two when doing your 10 minutes in the sun where your oxygen levels are freshly replenished. This also releases those backpack items weighing down your lockdown journey and sharpens your inner spirit man. And that, I have a feeling, is going to become a necessity in the coming days. A sharp spirit tuned into God's plan for this world will become a survival tool because He is for sure the ónly one who has got this firmly in His hand!