In this time of the Covid19 pandemic, Facebook and Zoom are my daily — sometimes minute by minute — connection to the outside world. Each morning I post a ‘get up, get dressed and do’ post on my Facebook page.
MARCIE RENDON UPDATED HER STATUS
March 28 at 8:48 AM
get up, get dressed, do your best – this is the time we have been preparing for – what are you going to do today to flatten the curve from capitalism? over-consumption? greed? manifest destiny ‘independence’?
MARCIE RENDON UPDATED HER STATUS
March 30 at 8:41 AM
get up get dressed do your best – been telling my one grandkid to create one small thing every day; another one to get some exercise every day; another to get her and the baby out in to the fresh air… this is NOT the end of the world folks, it is the time to do our best and vision the future we want for the next seven generations… get to it
MARCIE RENDON UPDATED HER STATUS
March 31 at 9:04 AM
get up, get dressed and get to it… the sun is shining (here in Mn) – take care of your loved ones by staying away from them if you have been out and about, see who needs needs and see how you can provide, text/call/fb/skype loved ones and keep in touch while you can
MARCIE RENDON UPDATED HER STATUS
April 6, 8:54 AM
you know the drill…. today is a brand-new day – you are alive, awake and hopefully thinking about all the ways we can continue the healing of mother earth (without a deadly virus as a wakeup call)
I have witnessed, via social media, friends who are struggling with loss of freedom of movement, especially the extroverts who thrive on human contact. And the young adults living with me whose need for contact with friends is as great as their need for food and water at this time of their lives. There are others who are mourning the loss of jobs which have been their mirror for reflecting their identity and worth back to them. In that same arena are folks who have lost their jobs and are struggling mightily with the dread of how to make ends meet, how to provide for themselves and their families. And on top of it all is the fear of severe illness or death from this virus that is silently stalking us all.
For myself as an Anishinaabe woman, I feel like this is the time we have been preparing for.
I am not talking about an apocalypse or ‘end of the world’ scenario. I am talking about ancient Native prophecies that told us there would be a time when humans would need to choose between two paths — a path of over-consumption, consumerism, greed and industrialization or a way of life that is in balance with all living beings of the planet.
The virus which is causing so much grief has also put into motion a healing of the earth. As countries, cities, industrial production, international travel have ground to a halt; as gas-powered vehicles of all kinds have ground to a halt — from school buses to city buses to rush-hour traffic jams — the atmosphere has cleared, waters have cleansed themselves and people are commenting in surprise, “I heard all kinds of birds today.” This virus is giving humankind a gift. It is showing us exactly what is required to save the planet. To end the degradation of the environment. To give Mother Earth the time and space to heal and regenerate so that human life can continue on this Earth.
It is a hard gift. Tough love.
We, individually and collectively, are the ones who can decide to listen. Decide to pay attention to what we are being shown and to insist that we never again go back to life as it was. The life of over-industrialization, over-consumption — lives fueled by unnecessary wants over human needs. A friend of mine said yesterday, “It isn’t enough that we vision or dream a new way of being. In order for real change to occur that can continue the environmental cleansing that is occurring, people need to organize and take action for these visions to become the new reality.” I think that with each of my daily posts on Facebook I am trying to do my point to head people in that direction.
In this time, I have also found time to have many moments of good fun. I love the Indian humor on Facebook and in memes. Many joking that this isn’t our first pandemic. Indians also jumped on Facebook and on the last weekend of March, when the Denver Pow Wow was canceled, created the Social Distance Pow Wow. 138K folks are currently on that site – singing, dancing, sharing artwork and stories. Some of the best-known Native comedians have shown up to do standup. Artist Steve Premo has started a novel on a Facebook thread that anyone can write the next paragraph on. My granddaughter and I re-created a painting of Anishinaabe artist Karen Savage in the vein of the Getty Museum’s request that people recreate famous paintings using what they find in their homes.
I find this to be a very hopeful time. I am looking under and beyond the heartache of so many lies, deaths and collapse, confident there is an upwelling of hope waiting to emerge and take charge.
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Marcie’s story is part of Pollen’s “Are You OK?” initiative, a collection of stories, art, and virtual gatherings that documents how our collective community is processing and healing during the this global health and financial crisis. Check the collection regularly to hear from our creative community as we keep up with the changes and challenges before us.
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