Breakthrough

I’ve just completed painting of a mermaid titled Breakthrough. Here in Atlanta we’ve been under stay-at-home orders for a few weeks; although, Georgia is only now making the order state wide today. I’ve been concerned about the Covid-19 for over a month, longer than most people here.

My daughter who was working for the University of Nevada had made plans to fly to Miami for spring break on March 10th. She’s an independent adult now, so we left the decision up to her but encouraged her not to go. The Wednesday prior to her planned trip, I came down with a mild virus; feeling chilled with no sore throat but lots of pain in my chest. I had remembered that feeling from when I had the swine flu years ago. I took it easy, drank lots of hot liquids, upped my Vitamin C and D and practiced the social distancing; within a few days it had passed. My daughter wisely decided to cancel her Miami trip and then flew home to Atlanta the following Wednesday since the campus had closed for the semester.

That second week of March I was incredibly fearful. I was constantly on the internet googling symptoms, watching YouTube videos about the subject, seeing the horrifying numbers go up in Italy. I begged my husband to stop going to the health club. It was exhausting and by the end of the week I was an emotional puddle. As my symptoms faded and then with our girl home, I started feeling better.

I realized that I needed to stop being so obsessed with the crazy politics and all the scary information floating through the media. It felt like a personal breakthrough and I wanted that reflected in the painting. I wanted to create a hopeful painting of a mermaid rising up from the water with the sun breaking through the storm clouds behind her. This challenging pandemic is creating heartbreaking situations as it travels through the world but also revealing underlying problems which will then eventually bring about solutions. It is also heartwarming to hear of so many of us rising up to join and help in the ways we can.