My childhood was full of adventures. During a school day or holiday, we were allowed to play outdoors after doing our homework and chores. It was always fun playing outside with the neighbourhood kids. I never minded the scraped knees and bruised elbows. Or even, when I had mud all over me and my clothes. My grin spoke volumes when I got home and my Mum’s standard response was, “Get out of those dirty clothes and take a bath now.”
My childhood was during a generation that grew up without iPads or iPods. Computers and smartphones were still somewhere in the future. The television was on the scene but parents made sure their children were not glued to that picture box.
I was 9 years old when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. And Star Trek filled my imagination with space travel. On sunny days I was outdoors playing. And on rainy days I made paper boats and watched them sail away.
As an adult, I have travelled to distance countries and saw God’s painting in the beauty of those lands. As an amateur photographer I shot lots of memories with my camera.
Today, the future looks bleak and dark. Life, as I know it, has disappeared. A deadly, contagious and killer virus called Covid-19 entered our lives. I now pratice social distancing. It is called the new normal. But there is nothing normal in it.
My smile is hidden behind the mask. But I am not at a masquerade ball. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around it. I look at my travel photos and wonder if I’ll get to visit Jerusalem and Bethlehem, or experience one week of Winter or see the Northern Lights. But nothing matters more than, will there be a cure? Will my tomorrows ever be normal again?
By C.E. Pereira
(4-7-2020)
HoneyGwhiz 
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