Day 4 France Lockdown

Day 4 into the lockdown in France. I woke this morning to a beautiful misty sky, sunlight struggling to peep in through the clouds, the distant mountains looming even larger up and behind the veil of mists. We are the few lucky ones, staying in one of the most beautiful places in Europe at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains. But I cannot help but think of so many of us stuck in small apartments in cities, I particularly am reminded of my brother and his family in Hong Kong, my cousin and his family in Seoul. And so many who have and will lose their jobs, the struggling small businesses and the very endangered existence of so many more around the globe. So many of us have lost a parent, grandparent, child, family and friends. So many of us wake up every morning apprehensive about how their loved ones will fare today. Will they make it? Some will but many won’t. I feel lucky, but not complacent. I feel that life has been good to me, but am acutely aware that for many, life has and will change in unthinkable ways. We face an existential crisis; it is a struggle for our very own survival, and we all carry the responsibility for us and for each other. 

I watch the morning unfold in all its glory, the mists slowly lifting off the mountains, while the birds sing away fleeting and sweeping across the big blue sky. What can I do? How can I help? The part of me that is the gardener comes to the rescue. I would like to share the beauty I have in my garden with you, with as many people as possible. And to share my thoughts with you, because we are not here alone. When I am gardening and am amongst my seedlings (they are happily growing in the ever-increasing sunlight heated greenhouse), I am happy. I listen to the birds and hear the hum of the bumblebees on the teucrium bush. The teucrium fruticans carries tiny gorgeous blue flowers the whole winter, a welcome food source for the first little bees to emerge. Happiness can come in so many forms, can’t it? The little things and the bigger things. The phone call from a loved one, the smile of a stranger on the street, a favourite tune on the radio, the first daffodils to smile back at you…countless ways to find ways back to our hearts, to find pieces of self everywhere one choosesto look and listen. It is our choice, it has always been. 

What makes you happy? Let me know and share it with everyone. For our world needs all the smiles it can get. Especially, now.