Getting Creative with Covid

I grew up in a family of singers. My mom sang in the church choir, my brothers sang in musicals, I sang in the backyard pool while pretending to be a mermaid, and my dad sang in public for the sheer joy of humiliating his children. I inherited his playfulness and exuberance, but not his ear. If I had a dollar for every time my brothers complained that “Lisa, you’re off-key,” I wouldn’t mind my medical bills so much.

I love singing because it allows me to feel all the feelings, without getting knocked down by my thoughts. When I was still too sick to go for walks, I sat outside in the grass and played guitar. I wrote silly songs, serious songs, and sappy songs. Some were about Covid-19, and some weren’t. When the days turned short and cold, I sat at the piano and clumsily plucked out Christmas carols—just for the joy of singing along.

I read once that hardships in life are like clay; they are the raw material from which we create beauty, meaning, and art. If this is true, then long Covid is one big ass clump of clay. Or—depending on your creative bent—it is a sprawling puddle of paint, a kitchen stocked with exotic ingredients, a mountain of yarn, an endless supply of do-re-mi.   

Even when energy is in short supply, we can create. We can play with words, tell stories, or imagine beautiful places. We can color mandalas, arrange flowers, snap photos, create memes, or find novel uses for duct tape. Perhaps you’ve already taken something from your ‘someday’ list—knitting, painting, or learning a new instrument—and bumped it forward to ‘today.’ If so, share what you’re up to so that we can cheer you on! No particular talent or expertise required.

Lack of experience or skill don’t have to be barriers to creating. My sister is a fledgling knitter, and we’ve coined the term ‘shnitting’ (shitty + knitting) to describe her craft. Her efforts to shnitt her first scarf are as worthy of celebration as anything on Etsy. Why? Because the process makes her happy.

That’s how singing—or should I say shinging—is for me. So today I’m sharing a song/shong with you. I wrote it on a borrowed banjo in 2019 when I was feeling grumpy about having a sinus infection. (A sinus infection! Woe was me!) I’d long hoped that someday I would be able to write songs on the piano, too. Well, a couple months ago, I bumped that plan from my ‘someday’ list to my ‘today’ list and worked out a piano arrangement for this song. I shing it to myself when I’m feeling down or stuck in my head, and it lifts me every time. Full disclosure: I recorded the vocals from inside my shower. Sure, the product isn’t the point, but I think we all can agree that every one of us feels and sounds at least 13% more like a real mermaid from inside a shower.

I hope you enjoy this song, and I hope you’ll share a bit about your own creative endeavors, big or small! What place does creativity hold in your journey with long Covid?

P.S. I won’t be able to host a Zoom call this weekend, but let’s get back on track in two weeks, on Sunday 2/21!