What Else We're Missing

How was your weekend? We celebrate Easter at my house, and it was a very different celebration this year. I had not been looking forward to it, actually, because of the family traditions I cherish that would not be happening. They did not happen, of course, but it was still a lovely day. I suppose part of the reason was that my expectations have shifted. If I’m not expecting the family for brunch, then it’s a treat just to see children and grandchildren on Zoom and FaceTime. And if I’m not expecting an Easter egg hunt at home, then a trip to the park to throw frisbees in masks and gloves is a delight. If I’m not expecting fresh spring flowers on the table, then the short-stemmed blossoms and clovers that three-year-old Cedar picks for me — and sets down on the ground at a safe distance for me to collect — make the best Easter bouquet ever.

The other piece might be that the rhythm of my life has changed. With this time of being apart has come an abrupt slowdown in nearly every one of my usual activities. No longer able to run all my own errands and do my own shopping, I wait for many things now. No longer able to dash to the gym for a workout, I walk more. No longer going to meetings or social engagements, I put on a pair of jeans and a shirt each day and I’m done. I have more time to just be, and I’m enjoying it. Without having to prepare and serve a family meal this year, I had more time to actually focus on my family. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t miss our usual brunch, or that I don’t look forward to doing it again. But this Easter gave me the chance to experience an alternative. If it weren’t for self-distancing, I might not ever have done so.

It’s easy to fixate on the things that we miss so much right now. But unless we're an essential worker (and bless you if you are), here are some other things that we’re likely missing: Jostling. Juggling. Crowding. Rushing. Ferrying. Chasing. Hurrying. Hustling. Over scheduling. Feeling pressured. In short, being harried. If not for the stay at home orders, would we have discovered that our life can move at a different pace? What has slowing down meant for you?

I’ve received a number of responses to Saturday’s message about not going back to “normal.” It seems that many of us now believe that the life we lived before COVID is not what we want to reclaim, at least not in every aspect. One of these days, though, we will start to go back to the lives we had to put on hold. What will you want to pick up again, and what will you choose to discard? What parts of your new life bring you peace? How will you carry them with you when we leave our homes again? 

 
                (Photo credit: Susan Keyser)

This time of separation gives us the opportunity to think about these things. And what better place to do some thinking and imagining than in a garden? If you don’t have a garden of your own to walk or sit in, try this lovely short video tour of Monet's garden at Giverny: Monet's Garden  Thank you to Molly for sending me this link to virtual garden tours, including the Giverny tour: Garden Tours

And for another calm garden experience, here’s an unguided tour of Yves St. Laurent’s Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco, which we visited with Michael and Molly last spring: Majorelle Garden . It turns out that all that old advice was right: it really is a powerful gift to stop and smell the roses (or daphne, or whatever).

Finally, if you missed Andrea Bocelli’s Easter concert for love, healing, and hope from the Duomo di Milano, watch and listen here: Bocelli's Easter Gift  Singing first in the empty cathedral and then to the world (from 18:24), Bocelli reminds us that we truly are connected, and that we are all in this together.

Until tomorrow, be well. Peace in your heart, and peace in our world.

Love,
Nancie/Mom/Mimi/Grandma

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