Anche quest'anno ho deciso di partecipare alla January Challenge lanciata da 64 Million Artists!

La novità di quest'anno era che si poteva scegliere fra tre sfide differenti, proposte da 3 collaboratori, oppure un mix delle tre. Ho deciso di partecipare al mix delle tre per avere più varietà e poi non sapevo chi scegliere perchè mi ispiravano tutti e tre simpatia (se proprio avessi dovuto scegliere, probabilmente avrei scelto Lemm Sissay). Solo per oggi, per chi ha scelto il mix delle sfide, si può scegliere tra le sfide del primo giorno di tutti i collaboratori. 

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The January challenge 2021- Day 1. 

You’ve chosen to take part in the Wildcard - a mixture of all three programmes! 

Our three collaborators have all designed their own challenge for Day 1.

So, just for today - you have a choice of three challenges...

1 – Lost and found (Yomi Adegoke) What do you want to leave in 2020, and what do you want to find in 2021? You could think of this challenge like a time capsule - gather all of the things you would like to leave behind in 2020. You could put things in a box, you could write a list or you could make an illustration. Now, gather all of the things you want to find in 2021! They could be physical things or they could be memories, ambitions or experiences you are hoping for. 

2 – Conversation with a lamp post (Jess Thom) Having Tourettes Syndrome means that Jess notices details in the world that she might not otherwise. This includes chatting to the lamppost outside her bedroom window every night! Have a conversation with a familiar object in your area. What will you say to it? What will it say back? Capture your conversation in writing or a doodle. 

3 – I remember (Lemm Sissay) Write down the words ‘I remember.’ Now, write down whatever memory comes to mind - it might be something small, it might be something big - it doesn’t matter, anything goes! Every time you run out of ideas, go back and start each new line with the same words ‘I remember.’ 

I chose challenge n. 3. 

I remember when I used to say that leap years do not scare me, because the saddest things in my life happened in the one before the leap. I never thought I would have lived in a pandemic.

I remember the day it was rumored that we would be locked up in the house. I had a medical visit that day, it had been booked many months ago and I didn't know if I could go or not. I went.

I remember that the next day (March 11) my chief called me to say to stay at home, more because my colleague had been at home. The full extent of what was happening would be discovered in the following days.

I remember I’ve watched the television for the news. Then at some point, after a few days, I didn't make it anymore. The more I listened to tragic news, the more I felt bad. The more I listened to fake news, the angrier I got. 

I remember I treasured the days at home. I tidied up, I tried new recipes, I sewed many masks, I warmed up on the terrace in the Easter sun. I enjoyed the silence of the cars, the singing of the birds, the scents of wildflowers never so intense. 

I remember the daily phone calls of some friends to whom this forced quarantine created discomfort. Somehow, I was getting a great peace of it instead.

I remember the wickedness of people. I remember someone said this pandemic would make us better. No prophecy was more wrong. Those who had bad feelings in themselves, made them even worse.

I remember a friend who told me about making a video-call, and my boyfriend, who lives on the other side of the province, who tried to see how it worked a few minutes later. And since that day he has video-called me every day. 

I remember the good intentions of those days, the charge that the sun gave me. 

I remember when I had to go for another medical visit in mid-July. That day I quarreled with the doctor and left the hospital feeling angry and mortified. I remember that I was alone because my doctor was busy with far more serious problems and illnesses. 

I remember that I took very few days of vacation by the sea, looking for places where there were few people. I remember when the holidays were the time when I made new friends. This year just made us keep our distance. 

I remember when the second lockdown started, I thought I was going crazy. So many sacrifices made for nothing. 

I remember that a few days ago I read the horoscope. He said the next will be a year of change. He said it will be a lighter year with no more Saturn against. I don't believe in horoscopes. But I hope for a change.