The world is changing rapidly, in ways we could scarcely imagine just days or weeks ago. What felt impossible yesterday is today’s reality. This constant shift creates a sense of uncertainty that permeates every aspect of our lives.
As a professor at Bowdoin College, I’ve witnessed firsthand the abrupt changes impacting students. Our spring break transitioned into online-only classes for the remainder of the academic year. The campus, once vibrant, is now largely empty, leaving students, particularly seniors, with a profound sense of loss and disruption. Many face additional challenges, navigating uncertain home environments during this already turbulent period.
An epidemiologist friend aptly described our current situation: if it feels unprecedented, it’s because it is. This unprecedented nature of events leaves us with much to process and consider. In the face of such overwhelming circumstances, the act of writing might seem distant or even irrelevant.
Initially, when reaching out to my students to offer support, I assumed writing would be the last thing on their minds. However, their responses surprised me. They requested a writing prompt, a familiar starting point for creative expression, a way to channel their thoughts, emotions, and memories onto the page. They sought an outlet to articulate the uncertainty that now defines our shared experience.
Responding to their need, and my own, I offer a writing exercise, a brief invitation to acknowledge and transform this moment into art. You’ve likely encountered the handwashing diagrams circulating online, ingenious attempts to diversify our 20-second song repertoire beyond “Happy Birthday.” Many of these diagrams, generated through websites like Wash Your Lyrics, utilize lyrics from popular songs to make handwashing instructions more engaging. One such example features Sisqo’s “Thong Song.” I remember this song vividly from my own college years, a time before 9/11, before our world experienced the kind of sudden, widespread disruption these students are now facing.
This “Words To Thong Song” handwashing guide, born from a poster by Britain’s National Health Service and popularized by a 17-year-old, William Gibson’s website, offers a playful yet practical approach to a serious issue. It’s a reminder that even amidst anxiety and upheaval, creativity and connection persist. Consider the unexpected juxtaposition of public health guidance with the exuberant lyrics of “Thong Song.” What does this pairing reveal about our need to find levity in dark times, to connect through shared cultural references, and to adapt familiar forms to new realities?
This brings us to our writing prompt: Explore the idea of unexpected pairings in this moment of global uncertainty. Think about contrasting ideas, emotions, or images that are colliding in your own experience or in the wider world. Consider the following questions as starting points:
- What unexpected sounds are you hearing now that might have been masked by the usual bustle of daily life? Are there new silences? New noises? How do these sounds shape your sense of place and time?
- What contrasting emotions are you experiencing? Fear and hope? Anxiety and gratitude? Loneliness and connection? How do these emotional pairings coexist and inform your perspective?
- What familiar routines or objects have taken on new meaning in this changed context? Has your home become a sanctuary or a confinement? Has your phone become a lifeline or a source of overwhelming information?
- How are personal experiences intersecting with global events? Where do you see the local and the global mirroring or diverging in surprising ways?
Using “words to thong song” as a starting point—a seemingly frivolous pop song repurposed for a vital health practice—begin to explore your own unexpected pairings through writing. Allow yourself to be guided by the contrasts and contradictions that define this moment. There are no right or wrong answers, only the opportunity to observe, reflect, and create. Let your writing be a space to process the complexities of our current reality, to find meaning in the unexpected, and to connect with yourself and others through the shared language of art. Even in times of disruption, the impulse to create and connect remains a powerful and essential human response.
