This piece was written in March 2020. Not only were we going through a global pandemic, but I found myself in the middle of a messy, complicated situation in my own life. I was scared, confused, extremely hurt, and hopeless. I was also ashamed to be feeling all of these things about my personal situation, when I knew the whole world was dealing with the life-threatening virus. Yet, I couldn’t just shake my feelings because “other people had it worse.” I thought about my emotions, and the emotions of people dealing with, or afraid of, COVID.
Two weeks leading up to the state closure, I went to the beach every day. It was the place I could just be. I would sit by the shore for hours, watching the waves, calculating the outcomes of different situations and processing what I was feeling emotionally. The first line came to me as the sun was setting: “Think of me when the sky is pink.” It was from the perspective of a friend offering comfort when emotions threatened to swallow me. This friend sings to me for the first two stanzas. After that, I begin to sing as me.
“As time goes on this fades away, it’s soon the distant past. We won’t forget the strength it took. Let’s hope that will last.” This stanza is something I sang to myself often when I felt like giving up. Situations don’t last forever. Remember the kind of person you want to be. You want to be the light.
Lyrics:
Think of me when the sky is pink and the day is all but gone When life sets sail, but you start to sink and you can’t quite grasp what’s going on Sit with me when the sadness comes and darkness holds you tight Remind me of the love that lives Remind me of the light. When coldness kisses my tired eyes and silence claims my throat Speak to me again of love With warmth in every note See, something inside of me is fighting against the fear But the pain is screaming to be heard It won’t just disappear Let’s be the light. In times like this, I can’t explain The strain in this abyss but through it all, what will remain is something more than all of this Don’t push it down, don’t try to hide Yes, I’ll admit, I’m terrified At the end of the day it’ll be alright If we remember to be the light. As time goes on this fades away It’s soon the distant past We won’t forget the strength it took Let’s hope that will last In a world where it’s seldom to all pause in unity Regardless of what it takes we know it’s what we need Let’s be the light.
Let’s be the Light.