Uncovering and Rediscovering My Corners during Covid-19 Pandemic 10


Sheltering in place during the Covid-19 pandemic is allowing me to uncover and rediscover the corners of my life and in my mind.

There are corners in all my rooms. I need to talk to my housekeeper (that would be me).  Sister-girl keeps things neat and cleans surfaces but she doesn’t pay attention to the corners of the ceiling, underneath the furniture (if it means moving it), nor does she examine beyond the visible.  She’s not uncovering nothing if she doesn’t have to. One day soon, she needs to tackle those stacks of paper and eliminate at least 90% of them. It would be a shame to come out of this quarantine with most of the piles that she had when it began.

iStock photo

I need to talk to my curator. My collections must be reduced, reconfigured, and displayed better.  I must give-away things that no longer reflect who I am and that might be useful to others. (Had lucky timing that  I was able to give a great bookcase, curio and TV stand away on Facebook Marketplace a week before the sheltering in place began.)

I am exploring the forgotten corners of my talents – this file with drafts and re-drafts of manuscripts; that journal with copies of stories that I submitted, had accepted, and were published.  “Not bad, not bad at all,” if I do say so myself.  I wish I had pushed more on this earlier in my life. (I met and interviewed/had audiences with Toni Morrison and Alice Walker.  Why didn’t I send my manuscripts to them or ask for advice as a writer? I got a hand-written rejection letter from Ms. Magazine with a personal comment. Why didn’t I send other manuscripts to them?  I didn’t know that I had to keep sounding my own horn to try to break through.  Why did I let go?)

Time to insert my mother’s admonition here: Even God can’t change the past. So let it go.  Stop looking back.  Face forward.

The corners of my marriage. Before Covid-19, there were stretches of time when we were merely dwelling in close proximity instead of truly living together…always so busy.

We are have now gone on walks together, something we talked about pre-Covid-19, but did not make time to do.  We have now danced together because we have an abundance of music (http://sun-music.net is  my husband’s internet radio station supplied by the hundreds of cds in our home). We don’t have to and never had to wait for a special event to do this.  We now give each other morning greetings that are full, slow and unhurried, truly grateful to wake up together instead of taking for granted that we will wake up together in the same way in a familiar world.

Every corner of my life is getting its due.

  • One corner is patience. (Developing more.)
  • One corner is love. (Who do I love and how do I show them?)
  • One corner is music. (Listening to the abundance in home and online.)
  • One corner is quiet. (Meditation, prayer, and gazing).
  • One corner is remembering. (Some things I’ve forgotten are coming back as daydreams and night streams.)
  • One corner is solitude. (So happy I learned to be okay with being alone with myself.)
  • One corner is connection. (Phone calls, letters, social media, and virtual gatherings).
  • One corner is secret.  (The dirty-thirties and frisky-forties. )
  • One corner is  letting go. (It wasn’t important, it didn’t matter, and you/they did the best you could at the time.)

Corners are cleaned, layers are peeled, and loads are lifted.  I feel lighter and better-anchored.

Thank you for taking time to read.

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Final Curve (by Langston Hughes)

When you turn the corner

And you run into yourself

Then you know that you have turned

All the corners that are left.

 


About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

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10 thoughts on “Uncovering and Rediscovering My Corners during Covid-19 Pandemic

  • Christine A Rose

    What a wonderful post. It really resonated with me. Each morning I wake up and say, I need to get more done. I am trying to stick to my task list and using time limits so that I can stay focused but…. I keep “falling off the wagon.”

    • Candelaria Silva Post author

      Thank you for reading. I also think that balance is part of the task of this time. It is always important to do something with your head, your heart and your hands/body. We have to give each part of who we are it’s due.

  • Lana Jackson

    Reflections…the time is right to build up/guard your emotional energy with peace and acceptance. Thank you Candelaria!

  • DeeDee

    I remember telling folks last Fall in 2019 that the record-breaking economy coupled with real estate outburst was not sustainable, especially when the majority of us were not seeing the growth. I never thought it would be a freakin’ virus that would slam on the brakes.

    Road Runner was a fictional character but I found myself emulating this fictional character in my life. This stay at home/job hours reduced/underlying health condition makes me think…yeah, I’m enjoying the off-schedule. Because, now, I can rediscover my love for sewing and crafting. It was waiting for me so I could reclaim my sanity. As always, Ms. Candy, you are on-point. Thank you.

    • Candelaria Silva Post author

      Rediscovery. This is the perfect word. This is a time of rediscovery. Like you, I had said to people months ago that what was happening was not sustainable. I had felt an unease and dread for months. I am also struck by how many things were really facades. I think of the old saying, “all that glitters isn’t gold.” SO true. Thank you for taking the time to read and leaving your thoughts.

  • Laura Palmer Edwards

    C- what a beautiful and thoughtful gift you shared. The corners are where we get stuck, and where I lash out. Don’t put baby in the corner! I appreciate learning from you how to open up a bit! -LPEdwards