DATE/TIME: March 2020 – We are living in an eerily strange time. A virus has pushed us into a life nobody predicted or asked for. A life fraught with uncertainty, anxiety and fear. Some have lost loved ones; some are paralyzed with worry and some are wallowing in despair.
And yet, so many of us have hope and courage. Those of us who have lived through times such as this through wars, depressions, poverty and hunger know that all things have a beginning and an end. “This Too Shall Pass” is a mantra we hear repeatedly, as we believe it in our hearts and share it with others via social media.
A physical distancing has not prevented us from a joining a community of family, friends and virtual strangers to encourage, soothe and hearten our concerns and apprehensions. Our online connections are filled with inspiring quotes, humorous pictures and creative ideas on how to stay busy as we re-discover our own homes.
Animated suspension is how I describe my tenure of staying home. Although I have worked from home for over thirty years and am comfortable with being at home for lengths of time, this new found time of not being able to leave the home at will, has allowed for more inspection of how to downsize for the retirement future we have planned and still anticipate despite the transformations we are currently experiencing.
Boxes of books and household items are stacked up in the garage. Just before this crisis reached epidemic proportions, I planned to visit the library and the donation centers. Until I do that, I don’t have the room in there to add more items. People and companies I want to call to get quotes and estimates for the repairs needed and services I will need to make our move are not working right now. I want to do more but am at a standstill.
As I sit at my desk and do a bit of work (yes, I am blessed to have this online option!) and do my share of social media posts, I have the curtain open to the world. On warm days I open the sliding door and breath the fresh air as I give up a word of thanks. I look around and am grateful that nature’s beauty still surrounds me.
And yet, human nature is the most beautiful – kindness, sacrifice, compassion abounds with those we see on the media who aide others in this time of unease, tension and apprehension. They rightly call them heroes – I call them people because deep down that is how I truly believe we are made.
May the Beauty of Nature, in all forms, surround you forever and a day.
We are on it!
Helene
The view from our backyard From the Personal Collection of Helene and Zaf
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