Eventually, We'll All Have To Stay Home.

All over the globe the consensus seems to be: STAY HOME. It made me ask, what is home? What is home to a homeless person? What is home to an orphan? What is home to a prostitute? What is home to all those that are destitute?

A deadly virus reared its ugly face, a thorn riddled mass bearing a sophisticated name, Corona. In Spanish it means “crown.” The virus, true to its name, now rules our lives. That scares the hell out of us, well, some of it at least.

Corona prowls around devouring small and large businesses alike. It sinks its crown of thorns into exposed, weak and compromised immune systems. Sometimes, it takes down the most unsuspecting of people, people we believe should not have died. This virus tears away at the economic fabric of the world, it became the crisis politicians won’t waste and the invisible thing we have gone to war with. Yet, the consensus remains: STAY HOME.

It’s a hell of a way to advise people. Lock yourselves in, stop living your life. It will only be two weeks they said. For some, it’s not so bad to stay home. Large freezers, plenty of canned foods and some other unidentified thing in the back of the refrigerator that we’ll likely throw away. Not too far from home, a grocery store we gleefully shop at when supplies are running low. While there, we buy extra stuff, just in case. Shopping carts full, snacks in hand, we load the car, go home and stay there.

Not everyone has that option, do they? No, they don’t. It’s OK to admit it. I’m not asking anyone to let strangers sleep in their home. I myself don’t possess such a saintly quality. But I think we should do something. Many are. It’s what they live to do. I myself, well, I’m busy. I’m just pointing out the facts. Don’t get me wrong I’ll help those I can. You know, the give them food for a day kind of help. But to feed them for a lifetime? Four trillion-dollar stimulus anyone? What do we offer?

An old saint named Paul once had a similar problem. A poor chap who was paralyzed apparently spent his days begging for money. If we stay home long enough, we too may be begging for money. Wait, I’m going down one of those rabbit trails.

Ah yes, the poor chap. Well that old saint named Paul had no gold or silver to give the old chap. Silver and gold, yes, I know the story is old, Paul didn’t carry cash. Kind of like most of us that get asked for money nowadays. Except, Paul probably was being honest. It all turned out OK for that old chap though, Paul told him he could only give him what he had. It was something to the effect of, “in the name of Jesus rise up and walk,” that he blurted out next.

The old chap jumped up and danced, apparently forgetting about the money he was asking about. I wonder if he had a home he could stay at. Who knows? It doesn’t seem to matter, does it? He could dance now.

How do we dance now? How can we get what we never thought we could have? The old chap never asked anyone to make him walk. He asked for money. It seems to me we are rather similar to this old chap. We don’t ask for what we truly want and need since it seems impossible to get. Instead, we fixate on something else that we think we can achieve and will fill the emptiness inside us. But where should our fixation be?

Home.

No, not the one that without your local pest control company would be overtaken by whatever ungodly tiny specimen could make that massive house fall apart. It’s the home that lasts forever. Maybe you don’t think such a place exists. A real home that cannot be destroyed. Maybe it doesn’t. Perhaps it’s better to fight for the homes we have here. Yes, tooth and nail until we reach a miserable end that reminds us of the home to come. Maybe then we will know that redemption comes from God.

There it is, he said it. God. I’m open to the discussion.

Think about this. What if Corona never goes away? Or worse, invites all her (or his, SMH) mean pals to go ahead and make their rounds too. You can’t stay home forever. What hope is there at that point? Who knows, perhaps to rise up and walk.

Where too? No one really knows. What we do know is that rising up and walking is better than staying home because then you can dance. And to what beat do we dance too? Heavens ballad, if we must give it a name. It’s the tune you feel deep inside, like a yearning to live a different life than the one you lead now. To find the meaning and answer to life. Bliss. I suppose you can call it that. After this uncertain life, one thing is left without a doubt. Whatever home we find ourselves in, the STAY HOME mandate will forever be in effect.

Again, what is home?