Dear Yuri,
As I look outside my bedroom window, I see the familiar row of Victorian, red brick houses of my street. Earlier today, one of my neighbours was smoking a cigarette outside, another was sitting on his front porch relaxing in the afternoon sun and finally, I saw the snout of a grumpy Dachshund sticking out underneath the back door of the house opposite, eager to meet my dog. Now, they have all but long gone. I am left only with a handful of stars, one of which regularly twinkles, and the crescent moon above.
As I look up at the sky, I think of all the people I care about, and how even though we are far apart, we are all looking at the same moon no matter where we are in the world. I worry about my friends, but particularly my closest friends. They are the type of people who simply radiate when they are happy, but struggle silently when they face problems. My best friend is separated from her fiancé in a different country, and it’s tearing her apart not knowing when she will be reunited once again with him. I haven’t heard from her in days.
The popular motto at the beginning was that we’re “together alone”. Often, these days though, I feel like my friends are even more out of reach. It’s like we have been conditioned to retreat when we are going through problems because we don’t want to burden everyone else. During these challenging times, I’d like them to know that we need to support each other now right now, and that I want them to vent to me. I hope that one day, we have the courage to be open about our struggles, and not hide them or wear false masks.