By Eric Noel Roman

After twenty years of building a strong image and career, it has all been essentially erased. Everywhere you turn a new story of the end appears. A time of loss for some, a time of despair for others. Yes, it is a tough time. However, as I sit and think about what has happened and what is the next move, I cannot help but ponder this is not an end. I am realizing that this is actually a new beginning.

In the last six months I have seen my main job become a dust palace. What was once a hustle bustle type environment, where people were having fun and escaping their everyday woes, has become a ghost lounge. An empty room where the tables are desolate and the stages are empty, with no music, no party. Oh how I miss it.

In addition to seeing the ghost house of my job, I also had the unfortunate event of having the gym where I train children to run up walls, climb ropes, and pick up new skills for everyday life come to a screeching halt and shut its doors permanently. This is undoubtedly a rough time for just about everyone. Noticing that so many doors have closed, but there are still windows.

As these two chapters slowly resolve to an end, I cannot say I am at an end. The new beginning is here. With the closing of some doors, I was forced to think how to break open the window. I took my skills as an entertainer and child care with my passion for healthy living and twisted them together to start a new venture. To be creative is key in times where opportunities are seldom. As the time at home increases, the time spent on learning new skills and honing old traits comes into practice. It is time to apply the skills in a new way.

Just like me, during this pandemic, many have lost quite a bit of their lives. Many are at a point of desperation. Panic is setting in. However, with rational thinking we can all overcome these hardships. Remember, creativity is important, limiting language is unnecessary. Focused on an end is focused on the past. The past cannot resolve the future, only action can propel you to the next level.

By stating this is the end of an era can imply that there might not be something ahead. In turn, if you say this is a new start, then you will have a path to build, and the possibilities are endless. Even though times are difficult and it has not been easy to see a silver lining, there is some light at the end of this tunnel. In the end, we will be on a road to rebuilding. On that road we will see that we not only have come out stronger and smarter, but we also have come out with a new beginning.