Who would have thought that a flu like none other before would bring the world to its knees. So quickly and devastating. So totally creeping into society, not overseeing anyone. Suddenly there is no difference in social status, no difference in age, political views, skin colour or religion. It affects us all. Equally.
Who would have thought that there will be a day that we will be scared to go to a shop, that people will start buying trolley loads of toilet paper, tinned food, Listerine and not forgetting hand sanitizer!
We are scared to touch, to kiss, we are prohibited to go to large gatherings and to be honest, even small gatherings does not feel like a good idea anymore. We wear masks and surgical gloves. Our faces itch but we can not touch it.
Our world has changed.
For us, living mostly off an income generated by you, the public, at markets and festivals, it is devastating. We are a bunch of gypsies, travelling from festival to festival, market to market. We love this way of living, we love YOU as fellow South Africans visiting us where ever we display our things. We get to know some of you, year after year seeing you at our stalls.
Now it has all stopped. For the while anyway. But that means that we have no income and there is an immense load on the shoulders of the event organisers paying back money, stalling their advertising, changing dates and (at this stage) postponing almost everything to the last part of 2020.
Please understand that I can not even get close to explaining how this has impacted on our lives. Please be patient with event organisers, please keep us as exhibitors in your prayers, as you are in ours.
Sooner or later this will also end. But we all know that the world as we knew it is going to be different. And it will be okey, we will all be okey.
We will be kissing and hugging our friends again.
We will be standing close again.
We will be laughing without fear again.
We will be at a market or festival again. This is just another beginning. It is not the end.
Be safe, be careful. We love you.
Love
Mari