Stay safe. Stay at home. Stay strong.

Stay safe. Stay at home. Stay strong.

Seeing daffodils in Greenwich Park, after all, sorts of wet weather in the UK during the first months of 2020, brought hopes and reminded me that spring was on its way and we were welcoming it with open arms in the UK.

At the time I was aware of the current global worries that span “chlorinated chicken” to coronavirus and even more with the flooding in the north of the country and the numerous homeless people during the unsettling weather… but the sight of those beautiful flowers gave me the immediate sense of lightness and warmth.

Now, just a few weeks beyond February, I am in the unrecognisable locked-down London, going to the same Greenwich park with Luna (our miniature Schnauzer) but feeling strangely aware of my whereabouts as the message is to “stay in”.

Time is an interesting concept, particularly when the daily activities and work suddenly go through the window!  So much has changed during such a short time and since this pandemic took over our lives and ways of being.

Suddenly, my busy life and practice ceased to exist (temporarily) as I decided to stop seeing patients since March 12th to avoid close physical proximity.  My NHS manager suspended my osteopathic practise until further notice and I was left in limbo trying to find ways to sort out the financial commitments and sudden change!

Days of the week have a quality of sameness now that I feel better guided by the meeting with the “unknown regular” visitors going to Greenwich park daily.  There is a lady who loves wearing red or purple in the park. She crosses our path at approximately the same time or perhaps she thinks we are the ones crossing her way. There is the well-dressed walker who looks like she is about to go to work but in fact, is doing her daily exercise before returning home, there are the unusual joggers dotting the landscape while trying to keep the 2-metre distance and changing our invisible usual pathway.   And still, there are the many lovely flowers hanging from trees, dropping on the ground, flying with the wind. 

Then there is home, where quarantine does not exist for parents because there are 3 meals, more cleaning to do and by the way, dogs don’t do quarantine.  We will march on for the sake of many and create new modes of entertainment for all. For me, a bit of yoga, meditation and getting rid of stuff would do, for Millie more sleeping, dancing via zoom, home food and cosmetic youtube sessions would do, and for Luna, a safe bet would be play, food and more play. 

Just when I thought I would have more time to “write that book” or do other pending stuff that has not to get done because of lack of time, I am having to remind myself of the strangeness of the current time and allow the compassion, love and acceptance to blossom and be expressed.

We are all in this together and yet so separate.  Our prime minister is very ill in intensive care, our NHS workers on their knees and most us trying to keep up the humour via WhatsApp jokes while doing what has been asked from us – to stay at home.  Our fears push us apart but our loving, interactive selves bring us closer to clap for the front line workers every Thursday evening.

Challenging as all this is, it can be an opportunity to discover our inner home and inhabit our inner space with more kindness, while allowing this strange time to reshape our new coming reality where less may be more.

Be safe, stay in, inhabit your body, mind your mind and your self!