These are no ordinary times. I doubt anybody in their wildest dreams (even those behind movies that told a similar story to what is happening today) imagined that, a day would come when the world, would suddenly, stop. That our lives would be turned completely upside down; that nothing could remain like it used to be beyond the confines of our homes; and that very little would stay the same when life slowly comes back to how we used to know it.
Many of us are lucky to be confined in our homes, as we try to make the most of a quarantine, which is giving us the time to do (almost) anything we want, a time we either didn’t have, or otherwise couldn’t find for ourselves. But there are those who can’t stay home, not because their work is essential but because they have no other way of surviving, even if this means putting their lives and families at risk. There are, however, many people doing their part to help them and they deserve to be thanked. And then, there are those for whom staying home isn’t an option, because their work makes our stay at home possible. And there are those who simply cannot be quarantined, because they are fighting this war for us. So Thank You all, from the heart.
By staying home, we are also doing our part in fighting the spread of this pandemic, so stay home and for that, Thank You too.
In the meantime, don’t expect me to give you any more medical, banking, financial or psychological advice, on which we have discovered two million experts on these days, most of which have no idea what they’re talking about. From me, on the contrary, you should only expect stories, which these days, are inspired by nothing else than quarantine and corona.
Below are seven original “Six-Word Stories,” a genre thought to be developed by the great Ernest Hemingway. These should be read as stories not quotes. Read them slowly, carefully as you would a more traditional and longer story. But read them once and twice and more, as you usually can’t with a more traditional and longer story, because it is only this way that you will truly understand it, connect with it and make it meaningful to you. If you enjoy this genre, you can read more of them here, which I wrote a couple of years back.
Enjoy, stay safe and for the love of whatever you love, stay home.
Eye on the East 