It was rather nice to watch the rain pour from the dark sky this morning, and listen to the wind whipping through the trees with a merciless speed and to be able to sit here in my nightgown until ten o'clock, sipping on a nice mug of tea instead of fighting for a seat on the subway and fighting my umbrella as I walked over the bridge. Himself got it into his head to make an Irish Currant Cake, which was fattening and glorious and the house smelled like heaven. Eventually I broke from my work, changed into "real clothes" (although I'm not sure why) and cleaned out a closet between phone calls when the afternoon business slowed down. This is a lot easier when the radio is off. If I can forget what's going on in the world and concentrate on each moment, I could almost enjoy this time at home.
There is a Buddhist saying, "Be here now," which I like very much. When we let go of the past that haunts us and the future that frightens us, this very moment is not all bad. Those of us who have the privilege of being bored and not in pain don't need a lot more right this very moment. Every breath we take brings us further from the fear and closer to the cure. Admittedly, a huge number of people are not so lucky. They have the virus, or someone they love has it. Or they themselves have to go out there every day to help the rest of us keep going by providing food and healthcare and mail and gasoline, and a hundred other things, and they risk their own health to do it because they either have no choice or because they are absolute angels and heroes.
So today I will gladly take shelter from the rain and the wind and the eerily empty streets which just seem wrong. I will remind myself of the faith I have never questioned in over sixty years, and expect it to uphold me in these difficult times. But first I will take a moment to just stop and be grateful to so many for so much. And I will breathe, one precious breath at a time.
There is a Buddhist saying, "Be here now," which I like very much. When we let go of the past that haunts us and the future that frightens us, this very moment is not all bad. Those of us who have the privilege of being bored and not in pain don't need a lot more right this very moment. Every breath we take brings us further from the fear and closer to the cure. Admittedly, a huge number of people are not so lucky. They have the virus, or someone they love has it. Or they themselves have to go out there every day to help the rest of us keep going by providing food and healthcare and mail and gasoline, and a hundred other things, and they risk their own health to do it because they either have no choice or because they are absolute angels and heroes.
So today I will gladly take shelter from the rain and the wind and the eerily empty streets which just seem wrong. I will remind myself of the faith I have never questioned in over sixty years, and expect it to uphold me in these difficult times. But first I will take a moment to just stop and be grateful to so many for so much. And I will breathe, one precious breath at a time.
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