creative forces

 

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.