BZZZT!!! (Now a long tone sound…) We interrupt this normally cheerful Blog for a temporary change in mood…
In the past 3 days there has been quite a “shift” in the most used emojis on my phone from texting friends and family. The top emoji had been the “LOL” – with the smiley-faced hard laugh, the closed eyes with tears of joy coming out of each side. Last year, a survey showed that was the most used emoji by the public, both young and old.
With COVID-19 in the picture for way too many months now, on my “Frequently Used” section of the Top 30 emojis on my phone, there are now various crying faces with teardrops flowing, the pray symbol, numerous hearts in colors, and a broken heart. They have replaced the clinking beers, the birthday cake, the girl swimmer, and also the dancing girl (I use that one in conjunction with the clinking beers). How come the sudden shift?
On Monday, a friend posted on Facebook that her daughter lost her struggle with an aggressive form of leukemia, leaving a husband and young child.
Many, many Crying face emojis.
And on Wednesday, I read in the local news that a 24 year-old made a tragic decision when he jumped off a cliff while swimming with friends, and never resurfaced. Turns out, he grew up right down the street and attended school with my kids. His mom and I have been in the same Book Club for years. She, her husband and this boy’s younger brother are without question the nicest, kindest people on the planet. Just a few weeks later, one of my daughter’s longtime classmates chose to end his life.
An infinite number of Crying faces, Praying Hands and lots of Heart emojis.
No words can help, and no actions can heal the big hole in these families’ hearts and make some sense of these sad deaths of three young people.
This is being written for them, yet writing about it really doesn’t make me feel any better, either.
Broken Heart emojis everywhere.
This Changing of the Emoji Guard will hopefully shift back to its happier and more positive list as time goes on, but right now, it’s a tough period in this corner of the world.
We now return to our regularly scheduled Blog, and hope that brighter, happier days lie ahead for everyone.
Sink or Swim 