Nothing’s quite so clear now
Do things, fight things
Feel you’ve lost your way?
You decide, but
You are not alone
Believe me
No one is alone— Into the Woods
It’s been just over a month since the world has seemingly been placed on hold. With stay-at-home orders and lockdowns in place, it’s easy for one to feel isolated and alone. Many of our favorite pasttimes have been temporarily taken away from us – sporting events, concerts, movie theaters and even all six Disney theme parks around the world. Places that we once enjoyed going to and used as an escape from the real world are now closed. It is quite haunting to think that for the first time since Walt opened Disneyland in 1955, Mickey Mouse cannot be found greeting Guests anywhere, and the sounds of animatronic children from across the globe cannot be found singing the melancholy tune of “it’s a small world after all” at any of the worldly theme parks. However, there is a sense of comfort knowing that everyone – and I mean everyone – around the world is experiencing the same hardships – everyone is being asked to place their hopes, their dreams and their lives on hold. Everyone is feeling alone, together.
The world right now is filled with so much uncertainty, and nothing seems to be clear. Everyone’s heads are filled with the same unanswered questions – “when will I be able to go back to work? When will I be able to see my friends and family again? When will my life go back to the way it was?” The thing is, everyone is asking these same questions. Isn’t it comforting to know that your head is not the only one yearning for these answers? To know that you are not the only one being told to only leave your home for essentials?
There are so many instances in life where we feel alone – whether it’s being fired from a job, losing a loved one or ending a relationship after nearly a decade. Those are times when we may tell ourselves, “no one can understand how I feel. No one is going through what I am currently going through. No one feels what I feel right now” – and you may be right. Maybe someone you are confiding in has never lost their job before, and no matter how hard they try to sympathize with you, they never truly can. These are times we may feel truly alone, truly isolated, and truly misunderstood. However right now, in this pandemic, should not be one of those times.
Believe me, no one is alone, even when we may feel it. We always have people that we can turn to for comfort and support – whether that be a family member, significant other or a best friend. There is always going to be someone who is there for us, someone who cares for us and someone who wants to see us smile again – even if they do not understand exactly how we feel. What they do understand is that we are hurt and in need, in need of someone to show us compassion. Right now, everyone is feeling alone, everyone is feeling hurt, everyone is feeling isolated. We need to be there for one another, because there is no greater time to understand when we are all alone, together.