Far From Over…

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Let it be in us to know 

Let it be in us to grow together

-Sereniti Sparkles 2021

With reports of variant Covid outbreaks around the world, we prepare for yet another wave of torment.  A wave that will pull at every heart string and bring us to our knees over and over.  

If I stand still and look at what is to come, I can’t possibly have enough space to cherish what is in front of me.  

If so many variants lay ahead, why are we not focusing on what is in front of us.   What is in our control.  Wouldn’t that feel better? 

If we know that when someone smiles it feels better than a frown, then we must also know that putting importance on our bodies and our minds must be our number one priority no matter what is ahead.  

WE NEVER REALLY KNEW THOUGH DID WE?

Was there ever a day in your life that you woke up sure of every element of your future 24 hours?

The answer is absolutely not.  

Sure, there is a grey area that some might say, well, if I knew I could stay home all day, I knew I was going to see the next day.  But if we use logic and our spirit, we know that to be incorrect.  

And what did we do before, when we were uncertain of each day?  We moved on.

Moving on isn’t about ignoring what is ahead.  Moving on is focusing on what is important today.  How can we be the best at who we are?  How can we learn from these viruses so we do better?  Isn’t that what we are here for anyway?

Once they are gone, the world will never be the same

Posted on by serenitisparkles

There are few left on this earth that remember a time when technology didn’t absorb us. Grandparents and great grandparents born in the early 20th century can recall a more simple time. Often they tell stories of games, dinner table conversations, living most days outdoors and having to use their mind for amusement. These are the people the young generation mocks because they can’t properly use a cell phone, or social media. But what they can do, and what they can teach us is more valuable than any other lesson available on earth today. When they leave us, many of their stories, their experiences, and their mannerisms will too. We will become more and more disconnected to human interaction and what that feels like. As the years go on and the elders pass away, there will be no one left to tell us why we should put our phones down. There will be no more phone calls on the other end with people who would rather talk than text.

Handwriting will be a thing of the past as will moments where we gaze into each others eyes while speaking. The social addiction of our phones and devices will have no more barrier to fight through. Because isn’t it our elders that tell us to remember to look each other in the eyes when we speak? Isn’t it our elders that remind us that beautiful days should not be wasted behind a video game console?

The world changed right before their eyes and they couldn’t possibly keep up because what felt good for them was the memories of a cup of milk at the kitchen table with mama. Not a phone, nor a tv, nor a video game could replace what secret to human experience that they hold. Covid-19 has been killing our elders off at a faster rate than anyone could have foreseen. My hope for you today is that you read this post, realize that time is running out, and learn from those who know better than us on how to be human.

Lessons for our youth: Schools are closed, but the BAR IS OPEN.

Posted on by serenitisparkles

What are we teaching our children if we tell them they can’t go to school, but Mommy and Daddy can go get a drink at the bar? What kind of message are we sending to our youth when their education depends on politics, but getting your nails done is your right as a U.S. citizen?

There is something extremely wrong going on around us and no matter what side of this you are on, you see it too.

All summer long, beaches, bars, restaurants, Target, Walmart, and so many other businesses have been allowed to open, yet your child can’t go to school.

Instead, while many of us are enjoying the retail and hospitality world being open, our children sit inside, being forced to study in front of a computer screen for hours.

Oh and let’s not forget the private schools and daycare’s that are still doing business as usual. Those children are the lucky ones. They get to play and interact with their peers while the other children who’s schooling is paid for by the government do not.

How do we justify that this is ok? How can we really say that it is ok for 50 million kids to sit at home and study, while they watch everyone else participate in the social world?

This is hypocrisy at its finest. We allow the corporations to be open because they own the government. We allow private schools and daycares to be open because it is their right. Where are the rights for the students behind the computer? The government has stolen their right and their voice. We must do better.

Is COVID-19 proving the Gaia Theory?

Posted on by serenitisparkles

The Gaia Theory proposes that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic and self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet.

The theory states that as Earth’s population increases, and becomes overpopulated, the Gaia (mother nature), will rid the Earth of inhabitants by things such as natural disasters, tragic events caused by man, environmental change, and disease.  

It is quite simple to understand when you think about it.  Though you can’t see it happening, every minute of the day we lose about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells off the surface of our skin.  New skin is constantly being created on our bodies and because of this natural shed of skin, our skin maintains it’s purpose.  The new skin cells gradually push their way to the top layer. When they reach the top, they die and are “weathered” by the environment and your daily activities.  Eventually, the dead cells break away from the epidermis and fall off, making room for newer cells growing up from below.

It is the natural cycle that lives all around us.  

Let’s use another example of Earth’s natural cycle.  Our body temperature is controlled by thermoregulation.   Your brain controls thermoregulation. When it senses your internal temperature becoming too low or high, it sends signals to your muscles, organs, glands, and nervous system.  It responds accordingly.  For instance;

If your body needs to cool down, you may start sweating.  If you need to heat up, you may start to shiver.

Self-regulation is all around us.  It can be found in the tiniest of organisms to the entire atmosphere.

In the Gaia theory, COVID-19 would be a self-regulatory act of the Earth.  It would be one way that the Earth combats overpopulation and the detrimental impact of human greed on Earth.  8 out of 10 people that die from COVID-19 are over the age of 65.  This means that out of the 773,000 deaths brought upon by this disease, 618,000 were elderly.  If you believe in the Gaia Theory, this statistic is shocking evidence that as the Earth’s population grows, the Earth teaches us that the cycle can’t be broken.  No matter the advances in modern medicine, Gaia will make a way for the young to enter the cycle and the old to exit.

Comment below with your thoughts.

What are we afraid of? Fearing Covid-19

Posted on by serenitisparkles

The summer of 2020 has been a challenging one to say the least.  Not because of events within my home or family, but because of the constant reminder that we should fear each other and stay “safe”.

Terminal illness is something I know very well as my father succumbed to death by liver cancer at the age of 49.  Illness is something I know well as I have an 8 year old daughter who gets the flu every season.  Drug addiction and illness is also something that has touched my life in a tragic way when I lost my aunt to her addiction.   Yet, I kept on living.

So I beg to ask the question, what are we afraid of?

Are we more afraid of a virus than we are of complete government oversight and control?  Are we more afraid of a virus than our children growing up without a childhood?  Are we more afraid of a virus than a world of social distancing and separation?  Are we more afraid of a virus than we are of fighting for our freedom?

Yesterday, in the grocery store, I made sure to mask up and go about my regular weekly shopping.  I observed people as they walked by making sure they weren’t “too close” to me.  I observed the discomfort of not being able to see if a person was smiling at me or frowning.

In my home, I have an eight year old little girl who is an only child.  A little girl who once upon a time thought anything was possible, yet now she can’t even enjoy the first day of school.  She watches as the school buses pass by in the neighborhood, not because they are picking her up, but because they are being paid to train on their routes for food drops.

My child, whose father lives in South America, cries for the moment she will see him again.  She asks me almost daily when this will be all over so she can see her dad.  For the first time, the mom who knows it all has to tell her baby, “I don’t know”.

Most people I know that have had Covid-19 (and that number I can count on one hand), are alive and breathing and living.  Those friends of mine that have had the virus are now stigmatized by the rest of the world as having “The Virus”.  Though they are all clear of the virus today, they are still excluded from family moments and gatherings.

When you ask me, What are you afraid of?  My answer is very different than what you may think during this pandemic.

I fear that this is the new normal.  I fear that we have entered a time of no return.  I fear that we will all be forced to vaccinate to live a “normal” life again.  I fear that the laws surrounding this pandemic will last beyond the virus.  I fear that people won’t introduce themselves with a hug anymore.  I fear that the government will use 5-G and technology to invade our homes and our lives in the name of “safety”.  I fear that my daughter won’t have a first day of school because digital learning proved to be more economic for the states.  I fear that she won’t be able to make a “new” friend because the parents are scared she may be infected.  I fear that small talk in the grocery store has ended.  I fear that human interaction has been forever tainted.

We are watching the powerful make decisions for all of us.  We are watching it without having real facts and statistics.  The chains have been applied to all of us, not just US citizens, but humans around the world.

I fear that the chains will not come off in my lifetime.

Georgia’s Dangerous Game

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Russian Roulette is a lethal game of chance in which a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, places the muzzle against their head, and pulls the trigger, in the hope that the round does not reach the barrel of the gun and therefore fire.

Metaphorically, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp, decided to play too.  The gun is Covid-19 and the players are residents of Georgia.  The data as of right now shows 608 new cases in a 24 hour period, and 20% of tests given showing positive with under 1% of the population being tested.  These numbers should be eerily concerning for any resident of Georgia with the State Governor opening it’s doors to the public as of April 24th.

While the rest of the world is playing it safe and enforcing stay at home orders, Gov. Brian Kemp sees an opportunity to stand out among the masses.  For all the wrong reasons.  Human safety is a worldwide concern with Covid-19 taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.  50,000 people in the U.S. alone have died because of this deadly virus and yet Georgia, home of Atlanta, decides to do what all doctor’s and scientists have warned against.

Opening too early will have a catastrophic affect on the state of Georgia for years to come.  The Atlanta Metropolitan area makes up most of Georgia’s population with roughly 6 million people.  It is a densely populated area.

As of 2018, Atlanta, GA had 12,800 total hospital beds, of which about 74% were occupied, potentially leaving only 3,340 beds open for additional patients. The bed count includes 1,620 beds in intensive care units, according to data from the American Hospital Association and the American Hospital Directory. Intensive care units are best equipped to handle the most acute coronavirus cases.

This means that when people stop social distancing and Covid-19 infections rise, Georgia will be the next NYC.  There is a potential for rapid increase in numbers because of Atlanta’s dense population.

So what happens when Georgia’s hospitals become too full, more people will die who didn’t have to.  Social distancing allows our hospitals to control the flow of patients and give the best care to the ones who really need it.  Without social distancing and stay at home orders, more people will get sick, more will need intensive care, and Georgia doesn’t have the ability to support the next wave that will come.

Never before in my lifetime has a politician had the ability to put my life at risk.  Never before has a politician been able to make the decision that would inevitably cause more death.  Gov. Brian Kemp decided to play a very dangerous game with the residents of Georgia, I pray that the bullet that is coming be stopped before it’s too late.

We are being reset…

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Before the Coronavirus brought us to our knees, life was moving forward as usual.  People weren’t taking time out for family and friends, young people were consumed with only social media and the relevance in the likes and follows it produced.  Money was ruling above all like it never had before.

For many years now, we have been witness to the blatant greed that became the only voice that mattered.  Corporations had automated every point of customer experience and people became numbers and dollar signs.

Humans have been losing their connection and at the same time losing their purpose.  We have been so consumed with the news of today and what’s popular that we completely forgot what was most important.

We watch alongside our children and wonder, what kind of world they will be left with, if left with one at all.  Time was moving so fast we couldn’t keep up.  Memories were being replaced with screen shots in our phone.

Everything that made this planet beautiful was being overrun by money and greed.  Life was beginning to have no meaning at all.

And then, we were stopped.  Like a domino effect, every nation surrounding us was on hold.  Every sale, every transaction, every event, every travel plan, and literally everything that once mattered, suddenly didn’t matter at all.    Every photo became an experience worth living.

We are being reset.  Many of us knew that it was only a matter of time that nature would run it’s course and stop the biggest threat to the planet.  We, the human race, have been shown our mortality.  We have come to understand just how fragile our existence on this planet is.  And now, we care more than ever to live in this moment and enjoy the beauty of the earth that we have taken for granted for far too long.

If and when we live through this moment, children will have been taught once again what family means.  People will have been humbled and understand to reuse and recycle and the importance that has on our survival.  Health will be something we celebrate and hold most dear.

Living for the now is what we have been given through this reset in history.  We are no longer buried in our work, obsessed with pop icons, saving for next years vacation, or simply consuming to consume.

Living for right now is the only thing that is certain.  Because of this certainty, we will rise above this and become the better version of who we were all meant to be.

The Bright Side

Posted on by serenitisparkles

As we watch the coronavirus consume our news outlets, our cities, and our way of life as we once knew it to be, we must look on the Bright Side.

I am not one to wallow in sadness, nor am I a person to let the pain overcome and lead me into depression.  So personally, I choose to look on the bright side.

With thousands of people dying all over the world, the bright side may seem hard to find.  But to survive this pandemic mentally, we must.

So what is so great about this moment in on earth.

I live in Atlanta, GA.  Traffic is horrendous, the party scene is non-stop, money rules the city, noise from the traffic is loud at all times of the day, you never seem to have time to spend at home with your family because work is first, and it is more common to eat out then at home.

The Bright Side:

  1. Traffic is obsolete.  When you absolutely need to leave your home and go to the grocery store, you can be sure to enjoy clear roads, and effortless transit.
  2. There is no party scene.  The party is in your home, with the people who matter most.  Partying now consists of things other than drinking and hanging out.  The party can involve a game of Monopoly or  kicking the soccer ball around outdoors.
  3. Money no longer rules anything.  Whether you are rich or poor financially, you are stuck at home.
  4. There is no noise from the cars and trucks.  You can sit outside and feel as if you have gone to the rural countryside.
  5. The work you do now is consumed with how to keep your family with positive minds and hearts.  You no longer have to leave your home for 12 hours to work those two jobs, missing important family moments.  You are required to stay home and work on your family.
  6. Home cooked meals have become standard, and Mc Donald’s, Burger King, or Taco Mac have become a thing of the past.

Most importantly, we have been made to focus on what is vital to our lives.  It isn’t the party, it isn’t the celebrity, it isn’t the money.  It is simple.  Our family, our home, our shelter, our food, and our inner peace is what matters most.  Covid-19 has become the catalyst that saves humanity.

Doesn’t this just make us stronger?

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Stay home.  Endure countless hours with your family members. It is an order.

This is truly one of the only times in my lifetime that I can remember us humans being ordered to live a certain way.  I believe it is the righteous way.

We live in a world, so consumed by material.  We “follow” everyone deemed important.  We forget to look in front of us, next to us, beside us.  We forget to channel our inner circle.  We forget who our inner circle even is.

Who were you closest to today?

That was probably one of the closest people to you in life.  Did you even know how vital they were?  Did you ever take a second and think, if the world was ending, they would still be there?

No, you probably didn’t.  I hope this time for you has made you look in the mirror.  I hope this time for you has been a wake up call.

The people who sit beside you today are your “Day Ones”.  They haven’t left.  In a time where they should be sheltering themselves or their children, they are with you.

Your welcome…

I feel for the parents…

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Sitting in her bedroom, watching her favorite slime video, is my eight year old little girl.  From the moment she came into my life, I have promised to be her guidance and protection.  The entire world is a new adventure for her.

This moment in our lives can’t be more difficult than for the parents of our world.  The parent’s whose children lay their head in comfort and look at like they can make magic happen.

Our children have since the beginning of time been the meaning of hope and second chances.

From the data, many of our children will survive this illness.  We however, do not have data to tell us if they will survive this disruption in their innocence.

Without trying, our days become consumed with this virus.  Conversations in front of our children about hard details become harder and harder to avoid.  They see the worry written on our faces.  They have been told there is no school, no play dates, and no restaurants.  Of course they feel this.

I feel for the parents because right now, more than ever we must put our badge on and wear it with a smile.  We were chosen to lead by our creator.  We were chosen to guide this being into the light.

There is so much to still be thankful for, there is so much to still strive for.  Look in your child’s eyes and lead them to embrace the light.  We are all still blessed to be alive and even more blessed to have created life.