My Moving Meditation

Every morning there are a few precious moments between sleep and wakening when everything is peaceful and good.   Those are the best moments of the day sometimes. Then I wake up and realize we are still in a pandemic.  Life should not be lived best in a semi conscious sleep state.  I miss so much!  Please tell me we won't forget the things of living our lives fully and together . 

How time flies when you are experiencing a pandemic.  At this point I would like it to fly to a time where we are not in a pandemic any longer and while I'm asking maybe we could fly right to the point where we all live in peaceful harmony?  Not necessarily back where we used to live but far beyond and better.  Asking too much?  As my Mother always said, "You never know unless you ask.".   Unfortunately, I think we will have to do more than ask this time.

Has anyone else looked at how their life and mindset have changed since March?  What have you done since March?  What have you NOT done?  For me, March is the line between "then" and "now".  We had no idea the first day of March that in June or July we would be in the middle (?) of a pandemic.  We stayed home.  We did puzzles.  We spent weeks upon weeks avoiding physical contact with anyone, to our best ability.  We have not hugged a person other than the one(s) we live with for MONTHS!  How wrong is that?  I do hope that someday hugging makes a comeback.  I have never been know as a hugger but damn, I want to hug people when I say hello and goodbye sometimes.

We have settled into a routine of predictability.  TJ works from the home office every day, except weekends.  He rides his bike a few days a week for many, many miles!  He is working on his golf game and on every fix-it project that has been neglected for years.  I have been playing golf like it is my job!  If you consult my handicap entries, I averaged 15-17 rounds of golf a month since March.  Thanks to the unbelievable weather for the first few months of Covid-19.  Golf covered all of the bases.  Socially distant but still social.  Outdoors in the sunshine and the fresh air.  It also used up about 4 hours a day... one step closer to passing another day in the pandemic and coming out the other side.  A sad way to live your life if you think about it. 

In addition to golf, I have logged more miles walking or running than probably in any other 3 or 4 month period in my life.  "Walking is a moving meditation"... a quote I read recently in a book and it definitely hit home.  I have found sanity in my walks.  When I am tired of "filling" time doing busy work at home or even productive work at home, I take a walk.  I listen to books, podcasts, Mass, music or nothing.  My eyes search for beauty.  My mind searches for peace and reason.  I pray when I walk.  I think when I walk.  The repetitive movement provides a perfect meditation.  My mind responds when it feels my body walking.  If I go more than one day without a walk I get agitated and restless.  Walking...Covid sanity.  (no such thing)
Scenes from my walks....

Where I found my sanity in Covid.

Good morning glory!

Last week we left our cocoon of predictability and safety.  We boarded an airplane and flew to California to visit our daughter and her husband.  At some point we weighed the risk and the reward and decided to fly.  Armed with our masks, our sanitizing wipes, our own water and snacks and our best "leave me alone" faces we boarded a plane and tried not to breathe.  I admit that the week before the flight I found myself a bit anxious.  Having not flown since February and in this uncertain time, I was hesitant. 

One good thing...
Plenty of overhead storage available these days.

Walking through an empty airport makes a person think.  The closed down kiosks, the saran wrapped restaurants, the closed shops, the absence of travelers all felt a bit apocalyptic.  It also made me think about all of the lives that have been affected by this pandemic.  Think of the people who are not working at those shops and restaurants.  The people not manning the gates for the flights and the ones not working on the flights that are not flying.  The people not loading or unloading bags.  The people not directing air traffic.  The people not traveling for work.  The families not taking vacations.  The list goes on and on and in one respect, yes, they are all home being safe ( we can assume) and in another respect so many are unemployed and the wheels of the world are not turning.  After 63 years maybe one would think they have seen it all... not even close!  The airport is just one microcosm of our world and in every part of our world this scenario is being played out over and over.  The lives and livelihoods changed by this are mind boggling. 

You can't sit here, eat here or work here.

Our flight was very calm.  Every middle seat was vacant.  They passed out prepackaged snacks and water.  People behaved very well if you ask me.  There was very little up and down or walking the aisles.  And on a four hour flight, very few people even got up to use the bathroom.  Everyone stayed in their seat and minded their own business.  Very civilized.  I think we were all in the same mind set, get me there quickly and safely, I'll stay in my space and you stay in yours.  It is still very hard to maintain your distance when on an airplane though and after all these months being that close to that many people is a bit unsettling.  It has been one week since we returned and every time I feel anything the least bit "off" or even sneeze I wonder if I caught "it".   I find myself making sure I taste and smell everything possible just to make sure my senses are still intact.  Six more days and I will rest easy.  Was it worth it?  Ask me in six more days but as of today, yes it was. 

I hope this wasn't too much of a downer post but lately it seems that is just how life goes.  We keep putting one foot in front of the other and make the best of a challenging situation but sometimes you just get down.  Is it all bad?  No!  Stay tuned for the good stuff!  I'm going to go take a walk!