Blog #
111…November 2020
I’ve been
spending a lot of time lately staring mindlessly out the windows of my house,
watching the local squirrels, one grey, a couple of blacks. They’re always pretty active in their jerky
unpredictable way, making improbable leaps from one slim branch to another with
an air of having fun. Maybe I’m imagining it, but I notice a certain sense of
purpose now, the days are darkening, there’s less take- out food bits to forage
from the trash and lean times are ahead.
Lean times
are ahead for us too…winter won’t be brightened by movies, plays, concerts,
parties, dinners or any of the things we normally enjoy to warm our spirits. I know, we’re pretty used to that other normal being
in the distant past and we’ve made adjustments to taking advantage of
things online. BUT… the upcoming 6 months are going to be
different, maybe rich in some ways, or totally bleak, probably a bit of both.
I learned a
hard lesson from the lockdown in March and went from being a very fit person to being handicapped in many ways by loss of strength, mobility
and stamina, vulnerable to injury and depression. I was used to swimming at
least 3 times a week for an hour plus walking to and from the pool and lots of
other places. When the pool and other things closed suddenly, I didn’t pay
attention to replacing the exercise and six months later I’m in a much
diminished state, working hard at physio and exercise now, but an ounce of
prevention…well you know what I mean.
So back to
the squirrels, seems to me a certain amount of forecasting and preparing for
winter might avoid getting caught without the human equivalent of nourishment. Everyone will have their own version of
cultural comfort food - a friend is collecting movie titles and books he’s
always intended to read and we’ve all got closets, desks and things to
organize. But I’m also going to seek out things to make me laugh…Fawlty Towers,
Mr Bean - may put out a call for suggestions for us to share. It’s crucial not
to pretend this is normal times, we’ve got every right to feel displaced, sad,
unhinged and abandoned in our own unique ways.
My
experience with losing fitness makes me realize we can’t live unconsciously any
more. We need to pay attention to how we
live, and think about how others live too. Lucky that mindfulness came along when it
did! Paying attention to staying in
touch is important, if you don’t have a network, find one, don’t wait for
people to reach out, do it yourself. Another friend is sending a card to
someone every morning, and most impressive, she’s a young woman - using the mail!
And people are creating chat rooms to talk about books, tell stories, share small wonders or just gripe about how they feel.
Another
squirrel thing is creating a cozy nest…the Danes call it hygge, surrounding
yourself with soft sweaters, blankets and low lights. And since we probably won’t
be going to many masked balls this winter, how about putting on your favourite
outfit sometimes just because it’s Tuesday, call some friends and suggest a
dress-up day and exchange ideas about what to wear.
And whatever
you do, get some regular exercise, put all your joints through their full range
at least once a day (a tip from a dancer I know), walk outside wearing your
mask, it’s like a uniform, it’ll make you feel less alone as well as safer. Or
if you can’t manage that, walk around your kitchen table to some marching
music. I got a wonderful little pedal machine that sits under my desk and I use
it a couple of times a day, pretending I’m cycling beside the Italian Lakes or
along a street in Copenhagen. And don’t forget to exercise your voice, sing for a few
minutes every day, lots of good lyrics online…my favourite is Kiss Me Kate, but
anything will do.
So as winter
moves in, I’m going to talk about the art of surviving in the upcoming months,
and welcome comments, suggestions, notes of desperation, whatever you’ve got on
your mind. Good for those of you who’ve
joined me (and Dan Levy) in the UofA Indigenous Canada course – tell your
friends about it.
See you in
December, and, adding to Bonnie Henry’s encouragement to be kind, be calm and
be safe, I’m adding - be patient.
