What you can control...

It's the week of July 4th, but the holiday this year will be different than it has been in the past. All the parks and lakes are closed again with the resurgence of Covid 19. Despite our hope coronavirus dissipates as the weather warms up, the news continues to tell the gloomy stories. And those stories are not from far away, chances are they are stories of someone we know. And I'm not sure I'm mentally prepared for the second wave in the fall, when our children go back to school, well...supposed to.

Our family of four took one year off to travel the world before this pandemic happened — I guess timing worked in our favor. Throughout our travels, we stayed in small airbnb places for a year, so I'm much used to entertaining kids and spending more time with my husband. But this lockdown still remains a challenge.

We're told that now is the time to do what we've always wanted, what we've been holding off. But it's not so easy to focus and have our creative energy flow when quarantined, when it's hard to find alone time with being around family all the time, and more importantly with our own disturbed mind toward uncertainties we're facing collectively.

My husband sent me the pictures of cacti with numerous bright yellow blossoms while walking in our neighborhood. They reminded me of the important lesson from Stoicism — you don't control what happens, you control how you respond. Look how gorgeous they are! They thrive under a harsh environment of scorching sun and dry land. I believe we also can make ourselves thrive under any circumstances, and our lives deserve our happiness.

Click image to see Cactus art

Art inspired by our trip to Botanical Garden in Melbourne in Jan 2019