Walking the streets of Charleston, South Carolina and every city in America and around the world is sobering right now. The narrative is being re-written and we are all facing a possible new normal. For Charleston, South Carolina, a city that thrives on hospitality, culture, arts and an all-around sense of Southern charm, these streets are filled with a quiet fear and uncertainty.
Businesses are closed, development has slowed and an eery distance is placed between the locals that are just trying to find some form of normalcy.
These photos taken today tell a very visual story of a town longing and waiting for better days.
Don’t Touch the Walking Buttons
Waterfront Park – Do Not EnterWaterfront Park – ClosedThe future is on holdFleet Landing – Waterfront dining is just a puddle of waterThe nationally recognized “The Spectator” is hauntingly quiet without guestsNo pedestrians, shoppers or horses at the City Market – Just empty benches and streetsFor the Love of Charleston, Stop COVID-19Vacant City Market Common Messages All Around the City of Charleston, South CarolinaNo cars, No people within eyesightA Once Vibrant Shopping Hot SpotParking a’ PlentyEndless rows of bikesDoors are open but no one is eatingThe silent echoes of East BayGarbage on the sidewalkEmpty CobblestoneNobody Walking Broad StreetAll Parks ClosedSilence in Government and LawFallen RecreationBroad Steet and Meeting StreetSilence Streets of Charleston
All Photos Courtesy of Mark A. Leon and Charleston Daily
Tell
me about your day
About the little things; the tiny details
Telling about the way you are seeing the world
I want to see it through your eyes
The way you feel others
The way you find goodness
How the sun shines in the eye of a storm
How your tears cleanse you from the drought
Your eyes light the darkness
Your hands make a child feel safe
Cry
to me
Shower me with your feelings
Be grateful with faith and hope
Tell
me about the way you found satisfaction in the laughter of a baby
Helping a stranger in need
Giving food to the mouths of those who starve
I
want to hear all the details as we lay in bed
I want to fall asleep to the sound of your voice
I want to hear how you put color in this black and white montage
Tell
me about your day
The
next day, I will kiss you gently on the lips
Promise you it will be alright
Never let the world hurt you alone
I’ll hurt with you
Be close for all time
Nothing I won’t do to protect you
Each
night with the setting sun, when you walk through that door, so beautiful with
each passing day, you tell me about your day
Until
my weary eyes close and my last vision is your beautiful soul
How lucky I must be to have you to tell me about your day for the rest of my
life
The response was so strong, we decided to create a Part II. These are some truly memorable and binge-able scenes. Enjoy Part II and enjoy the smiles and feelings of goodness they bring to your heart
We asked a panel of experts (Okay, we asked family and friends) to name movie scenes that always put a smile on their faces. Spoiler, some will make you smile and cry.
We hope in this difficult time, these scenes will remind you of the importance of happiness, love, tenderness, hope, and togetherness.
Let us kick it off:
The Rainbow Connection – The Muppet Movie
Sleepless in Seattle – Final Scene (Fateful Meeting)
Ralphie Bunny Suit – A Christmas Story
I Believe Speech – Bull Durham
Wanna Have a Catch Dad? – Field of Dreams
Dirty Dancing – Final Dance of the Season
You Had Me at Hello – Jerry Maguire
Rudy’s Victory – Rudy
I’m Alive – Scrooged
Before We Go – Final Scene
Definitely, Maybe – April Ending Scene
I’m Just a Girl Standing in Front of a Boy – Notting Hill
The Princess Bride – Poison Scenehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMz7JBRbmNo
Disney Princesses from Ralph Breaks the Internet II
Falco Winning Touchdown – The Replacements
We are Infinite – Perks of Being a Wallflower
To Me, You are Perfect – Love Actually
Oh Captain, My Captain – Dead Poets Society
Fake Orgasm – When Harry Met Sally
Ferris Bueller Opening Monologue – Ferris Buellers Day Off
“We are united in this effort and in this moment. I want to take this time to acknowledge and honor the sacrifices of those who work every day taking care of their communities in this time of need and uncertainty. The heroes that are making our daily lives possible. Let’s continue to support them and each other. This is ‘Hero'” – Mariah Carey
Me and my thoughts alone together wandering these empty streets forever No one to mind my way
Silence here; an echo there Don’t breathe too loud The evil lingers in the air
In the sky I only see a single bird reminding me of how this world used to be Fast forward this part and bring me back to the world I once knew long ago Maybe that was just yesterday
Hear my swear; reject this prayer Help me find my way
The sun below is sinking fast A shadow becoming overcast Soon the darkness will solidify and stay
In the night I feel less tight The bondage now is free
I see no faces, but hear them call from a million miles away
A thousand points of light An hourglass slowly slipping away In a boom, a sense of doom When will we get to play I’m lost in a jungle of grey but yearn to soak in the waters so blue
Lovers fear Strangers stare Too much insanity so hard to care
Find the river Cleanse this disease away All the mistakes; all the regrets; all the lingering moments of selfishness A baptism of the soul Bury the past Explore the whole
Will this light again ignite or will it burn out Will we whisper dreams and relive those romantic scenes With our hair blowing in the wind, soon we will be free again
While the reality of COVID-19 presents new unforeseen obstacles in
our daily lives, it also presents the opportunity for us to find more ways to
drive the community forward.
With that in mind, I Serve with Joy hopes you can lend a hand as
they increase their efforts to reach groups of people that need our collective
support. Your donation will help I Serve With Joy’s Covid-19 Crisis
initiatives.
Feeding the Community – Delivering food items to those in need
Neighbors Helping Neighbors – Donating Fresh Start hygiene kits to local youth
Hero Hugs – Providing lunches to heroes working to fight COVID-19
According
to Joy Campbell, founder of I Serve with Joy, “During this pandemic, our
focus is on driving the community forward by both directly serving those in
need, and supporting the local economy by purchasing supplies from local
grocery stores and local restaurants. 1000s of families have gone from having a
job one day to reduced hours or no job at all the next day. By
collaborating with our community partners and sponsors, we can effectively
identify those in need and help get them vital resources.”
UPCOMING EVENT
On April 18, I Serve with Joy will be participating in the Feed the Community Drive=Up hosted by Park Circle Cares at Shiloh SDA Church on Dorchester Rd.
Your immediate donations will help I Serve with Joy provide 300
(or more!) hygiene kits to local underserved youth.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Drop off donations
of travel-sized hygiene products (soap, shampoo, conditioner,
toothpaste, lotion, deodorant, etc) can be made at:
I Serve with
Joy wants to give public thanks to all those who are making the expansion of
these initiatives a success in one way or another. We have a long way to go but
we are stronger together thanks to these wonderful folks: Park Circle Cares;
Restore Global; Ladles of Coosaw Creek; The Lowcountry Blessing Box Project;
Charleston Good; Nippitaty Distillery; the Kelly Golden Show; South Sports
Central; Raising Cane’s; Charles Brave, President of SC AFL-CIO; Jonathan
Cramer, Digital Marketer; Hilary Kemptner at Hilkemp; Lewis & Associates;
LaRoche with Posay and CeraVe; Desiree with Keller Williams Charleston Mt.
Pleasant; Curtis with EXP Reality; Terry with Mary Kay; and John with the
Stroud Group at the Boulevard Company.
iServeWithJoy is a 501(c)(3) organization with the purpose and mission to serve the community and world. In addition to the Fresh Kits projects, they provide a number of other programs for youth including Queens for a Day, Prince Charming Day, Community Clean Up Day, and Wash Day. None of theirwork is possible without support from the community.
“How lucky I am to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to.” – Unknown
“Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye?” – Unknown
Change is frightening and physically holding someone’s hand that you love one last time is a feeling most of us never want to face. It is an inevitability of life that every person will face. Some goodbyes are as easy as walking away and not looking back while others are wrapped in final closure.
Everyone you ever face in your life, you will say goodbye to in spoken and unspoken words. You can’t neglect that fact of life. Perhaps that is why the fear of death and commitment are two of the top ten most feared things. So many of us will try and find the silver lining in goodbye with phrases like:
Every goodbye is one step closer to a new hello
Every ending is closer to a new beginning
You have to say goodbye to know how much they really meant
Don’t think of this as a goodbye but a reflection on all the wonderful times you shared
You will always have the memories
It is all psychological bullshit. It is an attempt to sugarcoat a bitter cupcake. Farewells suck. Especially to ones that have brought you so much happiness and contentment. Why would we ever want to let go of someone that has affected our lives?
There is a difference. Letting go and saying goodbye is very different.
Everything
in life has a purpose, or at least we have created the perception that it does.
We have all had the one that got away. The lost love; the true soul mate; the
person that made me believe in love; you got the idea.
Is there anything wrong with those moments of solace when you light some candles, drink wine and remember the times you shared and even create a scenario in your mind where you two are still together? Actually no. It is healthy and so often you feel better afterward. Maybe after the hangover has gone away. It is the flushing of feelings that is necessary. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t have decades of sappy love songs from Richard Marx to KC and JoJo.
An
emotional flush. What a great thought. It is healthy and can even burn off
calories.
Now, let us get back on topic. As a person who is well-traveled and has had more than my share of people come in and out of my life, I can feel comfortable saying some were harder than others. Some even still are. Do I miss a few every single day? Absolutely. I have also put life in perspective and come to expect this.
Here
is what you need to remember:
Don’t ever let go of anyone. Whether they were a friend, lover or enemy, they impacted your life. That is critical to understand. They shaped your morals, feelings, actions, and lifestyle in some small or big way.
Saying goodbye takes tremendous courage. Look deep inside your soul and gather all that courage. It is hard and you will resist but it is essential, not just in that moment but in the future as you reflect back.
Farewells are healthy. They are part of our growth process. Life is a constant evolution of growth, change, and adjustment. We want to accept that as we strive to become the best person we can
The hardest thing for most people when saying goodbye is to make peace with yourself. Often times we blame ourselves for the separation. Never ever blame yourself.
That
is it.
Goodbye
will happen many times throughout our lives.
Some will be heart-wrenching and others will be subtle. It will happen. More often for some of us.
We
need to accept it will happen and use the courage we all have inside to allow
it.
Life
is unpredictable, surreal, beautiful, magical and enchanting with each moment
and each breath
It
is the music, the sunsets, the long slow kisses, the rainbows, the emotions,
the risks, the adventures, the smell of the flowers, the glow of the stars, the
warmth of the sun, the coolness of the spring breeze. It is the snowfall in
winter and the leaves of all colors in the Autumn. Every turn is magic. We are
mystified by our actions.
Why then do we waste it in the safety of our comfort zone? How often do you think about death? Once, is too much. It will happen. It is a course in our life that will eventually greet us. Why then stop the amazing journey that is life with the thought of something you have no control over?
Take
a moment to let that sink in.
When
we are young we want to fall in love.
When we grow up we want a great job.
When we get older we want financial security.
When we retire we want a place to relax and play.
Now
let us look between the lines.
Dreams
Passions
Desires
Goals
Achievements
Remember all those amazing ideas running through our heads? Of course, you do. What are you waiting for? I don’t know either.
This truly complex thing that houses blood, organs, muscles and a brain is a remarkable thing. More importantly, it gives you options to soar to the clouds.
It
takes a strong person to be a dreamer. It takes a strong person to take the
leap and pursue those dreams.
What fascinates me is that we lose ourselves in fantasies, action films and supernatural and rely on cinematic magic to help us escape our own lives, even for a few brief moments. The irony is that all the magic is around us. It is in the ability to breathe in life each day. It is watching a human life grow. It is watching a plane fly through the sky and defies gravity. It is watching men watch us from space. It is about the endless possibilities available.
Maybe if we put the guns down, stop the hatred, look pass the prejudice, take those dreams we write on paper and take a chance. Even if each of us took one risk. Just one. That is 6.3 billion risks. We may not all achieve the goals we are looking for but just think about what a great world it would be if just a small percentage of those risks become realistic dreams. Wow.
Don’t wait for a catalyst or life-changing event to get off your ass and become the person you want to be. Here is your catalyst; the sunrise. Make tomorrow the starting point of a life worth living. Take advantage of your gift and make it special.
That
is what I would like you to take away from this.
A virtual 5K is the
perfect opportunity to get some exercise and fresh air, support a local
nonprofit and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Postpartum Support
Charleston is turning its 17th annual Moms’ Run into a virtual 5K.
The race is normally
held the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend, but with the virtual format,
organizers are hosting the race during National Maternal Mental Health Week
from May 3-9. Anyone can participate in the run/walk. Registration is $20 per
person and all proceeds benefit Postpartum Support Charleston’s work helping
moms in the Charleston area who are struggling with postpartum depression and
anxiety. This year also marks the organization’s 20th anniversary.
Participants also have
the option to purchase a Moms’ Run shirt – perfect for a post-run selfie.
“Earlier this year,
we had decided to skip our Moms’ Run in 2020 while we searched for a new venue.
Our long-time venue, MUSC Health Stadium on Daniel Island, was no longer
available, and we weren’t able to get approval from the City of Charleston for
a new venue,” explained Elaine DeaKyne, executive director. “Now,
we’ve decided to turn a negative into a positive and host a virtual 5K.”
The annual Moms’ Run is
Postpartum Support Charleston’s largest fundraiser, so transitioning the event
to a virtual run allows the organization to raise much-needed funds to support
local moms through peer groups, education and connection to critical resources
such as counseling and medical assistance.
Anyone can join the
event, and participants are encouraged to map out a 3.1-mile route close to
their home. Participants will even receive a running bib template they can
print at home to make the race feel more official. Families and individuals can
run, walk or push a stroller. Participants are encouraged to take photos and
share on social media with the hashtag #virtualmomsrun and tag Postpartum
Support Charleston on Facebook and Instagram @ppdsupportchs.
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