Last night in Lima, I watched a man climb up his house to get on the roof. I had never seen him do it before, and it took some work. But I understood why he did it. The lockdown here is serious. We can only leave our homes to buy groceries, go to the bank, or to seek medical attention. And now, only men can leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Women can go out on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. No one goes out on Sunday.
I couldn’t blame my neighbor for fighting to get outside to breathe some air and see the beautiful Peruvian sunset. He was fighting to have a different perspective.
This principle has resonated with me, even in my own process here. I feel the darkness all around. The darkness of this disease… the darkness of death… the darkness of fear and people fighting to save others and losing their lives. I feel the darkness of uncertainty and some darkness that’s been IN me. But like my neighbor who climbed up on his roof, I refuse to let the darkness remain in me and to stay locked inside. My fight is to climb toward hope each day — to see the light, breathe some fresh air and change my perspective, even if it’s just for an evening. I have to believe, on some level, this is a battle we are all facing right now.
If you can, please help us by donating at www.somethingnew.org/give and sharing with your networks to spread the word about the needs here.
