I had a silly idea to try to make a teeny roll of toilet paper.
What is this pandemic trying to tell us? What is it trying to teach us about ourselves?
In the past few days, a global pandemic has ensued. Many schools are closed down for the next few weeks as well as many public events. Today I even learned that the local libraries are closing down. This is all happening to slow the spread of the virus, by reducing social contacts. It will still spread, but hopefully at a rate that our healthcare system can handle. A fast inundation of infected people pouring in to hospitals -without the capacity, space, staff or supplies to handle it, would create severe strain with an extremely high death toll.
Some people have been “panic buying” and hoarding food and essentials such as toilet paper (even though the virus attacks the lungs and causes respiratory problems).
This greediness and tendency to hoard is also raising new problems for the community, not even related to the virus! When elderly or vulnerable people come to the stores to purchase normal, essential items, such as bread or toilet paper, the products are all gone by then, or they have to fight for the basic things they need to get by.
This is a real problem.
This pandemic is really bringing to the surface the deep beliefs and habits of our modern society. In many ways, this virus is helping us become better by putting a mirror to our collective ideas, patterns and behaviors and showing us who we truly are. Maybe, through this experience we can become kinder and more compassionate to those around us.
Adversity often causes growth, the same way physical exercise works your muscles to make them stronger and more flexible. Hard and confusing times cause us to reach down to the depths of our core inner strength to become stronger, more flexible, aware, connected, thankful, helpful, creative, patient, resilient, resourceful and more capable of things we never thought could be possible.
This is a rare imposed time of deep self reflection, observation, and potential transformation, as well as a time to consider who we are as humans, and who we want to be when we arrive at the other side of this pandemic.
For my fun a day project this year, a made a mobile with 30 teeny origami stars. There were lots of other neat projects this year by local artists including sculptures, painting, videography and photography etc… I think this is the fourth time I’ve participated in this annual local show here in Albuquerque. The idea of the show is to create art every day for one whole month.
Lindsay Brenner artist 