THE instant that translated to two years and forcedly kept one away from family reminded me of that iconic Marvel cinematic universe twist where half of the world disappeared in a flash, only to reappear several years later, agog with the lost time. As such, I recently got a feel of what my partner had gone through during those years of quarantine when we weren’t allowed to go back to visit her relatives and their family farm spread during the span of those two years. Just as in the movie, it was as if one were locked up and upon returning, discovered that the world had moved on and nothing but changes had come to meet you.
Of course, the situation of year 2020, if one left out coronavirus and the dangers it posed, could also be equated to similarly being assigned far away from loved ones by the demands of work. For us, fam of three, we could just treat it as the mum schooling in Holland and being physically separated from us during such time. I know of others who have adopted this line of thinking but, once applied to the whole Covid-19 affair, it comes out as though one were merely whistling in the dark. Even if it worked, everyone knew the scenario surrounding covid had one had more bite than any simple out-of-town work detail.
The cloud of fear that seemed to blanket the whole landscape, the faltering of economies and businesses grounded to a halt, all these were telling challenges to one’s wits and composure. However, the more personal reality of being separated from those whom one held dear, second only to losing them to covid, proved to be the more demanding of all. Thankfully, even as remnants of the virus remain, the go-ahead signal to safely travel has made it possible for us and others to finally reunite with kin and dear ones, and then even to conduct business.
Indeed, even with changes as clear as wrinkles on everyone’s faces and bijon streaks of white lining their once-dark and lush scalps, nothing beats a family reunion, especially after having endured a shared experience that is as dark as covid.
In many ways more symbolic than that of a movie meme about reuniting with love ones after a long absence, the advent of Easter seems to be the more fitting representation of family meetings all over the world at this particular time once again. The message, as Christians would attest, is that hope springs eternal. For other beliefs, there is always a new moon to look up to and that it cannot always be dark.
