Social distancing without distance

As I write this post, I am thinking about everyone who is affected by Coronavirus…..and that surely means everyone! I really hope that you are thriving despite the current ‘new reality’ – it will last for a season and then, God willing, all will return to normal. In fact, I hope it will be a new normal and that after this time of anxiety and restriction has passed, the rediscovered sense of community and caring will remain. I hope too that this time of isolation will help people to discover a fresh wonder and joy in nature and the countryside – sometimes, you don’t know what you have until you lose it.

It all feels quite strange to me. I feel like I should be out and about helping people at this time, but because I am over 70, the government sees me as one of the ‘vulnerable’ ones which means that I have to isolate. It is probably the first time in my life that I have been seen that way and I confess, I don’t like it. It is another case of having a young mindset which means I have trouble accepting the age of my body 🙂 ! I might have mentioned that before 😉 ! We are blessed though, in that our daughter is home from India at the moment so we have her company and also, she is taking it on herself to do all the shopping etc for us.

I really think that it is times like these that we need to look for the positives and be thankful for all the small mercies, and there are so many of those. I am so grateful to all those who continue to help others, those who keep us safe, and those who try to keep life as normal as possible. I am grateful too for the way the community pulls together at these times, with neighbour looking out for neighbour, friend looking out for friend. I am grateful too for Skype, FaceTime and similar Apps that enable us to keep in contact with family and friends who don’t live with us. I am grateful for the spring weather which means I am able to get out into the garden, and for the greenery and wildlife that is all around.

I am grateful too that, for the time being at least, we can still get out and exercise every day. The guidelines may not be totally specific in that there appears to be no definition as to what ‘one exercise’ might look like – speaking of course as someone who regularly goes out for whole days of ‘one exercise’. However, applying the spirit of the law, I figure that at some point exercise, if extended for any length of time, becomes recreation, which is a different category altogether. I have therefore been getting out every day for maybe an hour or so, walking or cycling from home around my local area only. Although I really miss my long walks and rides, I am grateful that there are areas of woodland and heath around me, little oases in the urban sprawl, that can feel like open countryside. And there are always interesting things to see, even on the streets.

One of the things I am loving is the quiet! With few planes, less traffic on the roads etc, the sounds of nature are more noticeable. One of the things I am really hoping is that this time of forced ‘low emissions’ will go some way towards healing our planet. I am also enjoying just sitting with a book, or with my paints and drawing materials, or with my fountain pens and journal. My painting and sketching is definitely in the category of being great fun for me to do but not necessarily so enjoyable for others to look at – I’m no artist. It gives me pleasure though and I’ve included above, one of my ‘scribble sketches’ which I did earlier this week.

‘To everything there is a season’, the bible says, and the only way through this is to embrace the current situation, to see it as a season, rather than fighting against it. I hope you are able to do that.

Stay safe everyone. We may not be able to walk distance but we can certainly keep social distance 🙂 ! And let’s remember especially those who are ill or who have lost loved ones to this horrible virus!

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my ramblings, and I hope you enjoy exploring with me.

Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler

If you would like to contact me, my email address is terry.yarrow@gmail.com – comments and feedback are always welcomed.

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