Still Right Here/Just Breathe

No two track names could more perfectly sum up the situation: Covid-19 has taken hold of this planet and so far (officially) infected over 1million people, claiming many of those forever.

As we sit at home trying to make sense of it all, media in its various forms is being inevitably pushed into our faces from all directions. After a mere 5 minutes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any news app one could be forgiven for predicting armageddon or simply feeling more anxiety than one did before you lifted your phone or tablet.

If you're going to consume media, let it be music.

NIN have so graciously and aptly produced these two freely issued albums in direct response to what is unfolding around us right now; Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have taken the temperature of the planet and gotten it absolutely right. It feels weird to be talking about them so soon after my last post, and I had NO idea this was coming either.

This isn't really a review; more a call to listen to these two works whenever you get a chance, as there is some very wonderful, emotionally charged creativity on display. The shift from light - V: Together - to darkness (but with some hope) - VI: Locusts - is stark in contrast but necessary to encapsulate how we all feel from minute to minute, hour to hour and day to day.

I will take my week in review as a way to convey this:

Light - my two children bonding and playing more closely than ever before, creatively, spontaneously and with a newfound verve, oblivious to what is really unfolding around them.

Darkness - a child no less than 8 years older than my eldest becoming the youngest victim of Covid-19 to die in the UK.

Light - being around my family and having time to work, exercise, study, play and see them have fun with us.

Darkness - lying awake at night for hours, catastrophising in my mind about what might happen, from the close-to-home stuff to everyone around the world and their individual and collective plight.

Light - hearing the stories of community, generosity, support for the NHS, and society and government doing what's right to protect us all.

Darkness - seeing images of major cities around the world totally and utterly deserted, devoid of life and energy, and wondering when it will return.

Light - knowing there is a positive end to this and some true lessons for ourselves about how we choose to live, work and what we prioritise.

Control the controllable. This is something that continues to resonate with me as I have read it and heard it so many times in the last few years of my working and personal life.

Very little of what I have mentioned above is within my domain of control, and the helplessness we all feel at times fuels our anxiety and fear.

We need to hold on to what we do control and that is our thoughts, our immediate actions during this time and how we choose to treat anyone we interact with.

I am not saying I have it right for much of the time, because I don't. I use tools that ground me and techniques that help me focus, bring things into perspective and allow a sense of present being and calm to prevail. Music is a contributory part to that, and so I continue to consume it with even more of an appetite than before.

Be kind.

Stay safe.

Badger x