What do you do when you want to go out and there is nowhere to go?

The stores are closed

It’s cold outside

Can’t visit friends

Can’t write in a coffee shop

It feels a little like a prison to me

But it’s also far from a prison’s reality

I feel ashamed to complain

When others spent years in prison and did not complain

I’m complaining about a few days of lockdown

Although I’m still in touch with my friends around the world

Although I can leave the house if I want

Although I’m not being held against my will

So, in reality I have nothing to complain about

We are creatures that seek comfort and ease

We wish to have our way in things

Freedom to go where we want and do what we want is paramount

The emphasis is on me and I

We need to step back and look at the big picture

We need to think about what others need

We need to be of service to humanity

Comfort and ease will pass

What remains is the lessons we’ve learned

The service we’ve rendered

The souls we’ve touched

What remains after we leave this world

Is hopefully our vibrant spirit tried in the trials of life

And purified in the fire of adversity

These are the things I need to remind myself of again and again

Remember the example others have set

And at the very least, complain less

December 27th, 2020

*The prisoners referred to here are people who were in prison because of their Faith, members of the Baha’i community in Iran.