I wish that this summer were one in which we were all simply enjoying the usual summer delights...playing in the water whether by the lake, at the beach, on a boat or sailboat, swimming at the pool, picnicking in a field, hiking on a trail, and ending the day with a few scoops of ice cream. I think that was what I must have been going for as I began my latest sculpture, Summers at the Lake, seen in unfinished form above.
But this summer has been anything but typical, like the shot above, and as I write this, I'm only now beginning to feel what my subconscious understood earlier in the summer, when I sculpted Pandemic Sadness, my first attempt at capturing a feeling in clay. No, I haven't had a friend or loved one die during the Pandemic, but today, as I listen to the news and talk to others, I'm realizing a deep sense of sadness that has gripped me and that has gripped our world. As a psychotherapist, when I've talked with people over the last week, a majority of them seem to be feeling it too. Pandemic sadness, anxiety, and helplessness seem to have a tight grip right now on many of us.
Most of us are used to the idea that we can control the direction of our lives. But one thing we can't control is how others respond to a situation. My heart goes out to those who are unable to get a vaccination due to a medical situation and to children too young to get a vaccine. I hope that you will all be as careful as you can and as hospitals are reaching their full capacity, I implore all of you who are not vaccinated and are able to get vaccinated, to do so today. Your life may truly depend upon it and so may the lives of others. We can get through this, but we all have to work together to stop the spread. Meanwhile, we all know the drill. Again. It's not a political issue. Let's just do it, so we can go back to summers at the lake, weddings, funerals, proms, friends, and gatherings. Hopefully, once and for all, let's work together and put an end to Pandemic Sadness.
JUST DO IT!
And meanwhile, I'll continue sculpting.
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