Where To Go When “Going” Isn’t An Option

April 10th 2020, Atlanta, GA / Giselle Ave. Media — Day 21 of social distancing, and the walls are starting to appear more colorful than ever. Once upon a time, people used to plan their entire lives around their next family gathering, getaway, vacation, or trip! We would begin to countdown the days until the next big event; whether it be a wedding, birthday celebration, or girls trip! We’ve been hyper-focused on taking vacations, joining clubs, going to events, and surrounding ourselves with groups of people— and then everything suddenly stopped. We went from commuting to work daily, to being told to work from home, or even worse– being informed there is no more work available. Despite the statewide Shelter In Place, or the declaration of a National State of Emergency, some people are still going!  

I never thought I’d be blogging about this, but here we are in the midst of a global pandemic, and no one is going anywhere. When talking on the phone, instead of saying “have a good day,” at the end of our chat, we’re saying “stay safe, and stay inside.” In my 30 years of this journey called life, I never thought I’d have no choice but to stay at home.

Where do you go, when going is no longer an option? Do we stroll down memory lane? Do we go inside of ourselves, to learn more about who we are? Do we run to virtual celebrations, celebrity Instagram Live’s, and our thousands of friends on social media? Do we tap into the deepest, darkest parts of ourselves, and grow fearful from what we discover? Do we learn how to face our own demons?

Where to go when going isn’t an option?

This sky view of Los Angeles was taken this week, by Carl Lammi and confirms that LA is now a ghost town. Yesterday, I hopped on Instagram Live just for fun. I spoke with a few of my followers and we shared our current experiences, amid COVID-19. One of my followers resides in New York City and shared how the city is also a ghost town right now– and it’s even kind of creepy to go outside! Here in Downtown Atlanta, the city is a ghost town and nothing like it used to be — bustling and busy during the lunch hour, filled with busy patrons ready to mix and mingle with colleagues.

These times remind me of Kanye’s song GHOST TOWN, that appeared on his 2018 album, Ye. Even so, the lyrics of this song create a compelling spectacle of what the world looks like today:

Oh, once again I am a child

I let it all go (go), of everything that I know, yeah

Of everything that I know, yeah

And nothing hurts anymore, I feel kinda free

We’re still the kids we used to be, yeah, yeah

I put my hand on the stove, to see if I still bleed

These times have forced us to let go of everything we once knew. We’ve been forced to stay inside, kind of like when we were kids with little freedom to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. I’ve been reminded of my childhood, a curious young girl, wondering what the world had in store for me.

Right now, it’s time to go inside– of ourselves. It’s time for us to look within to examine ourselves, while learning more about the essence of who we truly are. We are being encouraged, by God, to be still and to let His will be done in our lives. We are learning how to tune out the noise of the world, and to tune into the voice inside that guides us to our destiny. While we don’t know when "outside" will open back up, but we can be encouraged by the fact that God lives within us, and we cannot fail. Finally, we are learning how to let go of our plans, our way of doing things, and our idea of living our best life.

Most of all, we know what it means to let go, and let God.

After all, going isn’t even an option.

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This article was originally shared on Giselle Ave. -- an International Blog & Media Agency, founded by Giselle Climpson.