CAUTIONARY STEPS

 

During and within these past crazy times, we are living through, it been so easy just to focus on the negative aspects of what is happening.  Yet we still live in a fallen and broken world, the pandemic has given us renewed hopes.  It has enabled us to slow down our pace and because our pace has slowed down, we are seeing and hearing a lot more around us. It's always been there but life was so rush it often failed to grab our attention.

In recent days for some of us, we have seen a huge shift in our personal freedoms. Despite all this there is an atmosphere of caution too as we all wait to see whether these old joys will be removed again, the country does not want future sanctions or lockdowns, that choice is down to us as individuals.  For some, these changes will bring a return of anxiety and the idea of being in crowds again is not something that all of us will enjoy.  The most important thing is that we keep talking about these changes and how they affect us, we should not assume that, just because we can hug again, everyone will feel comfortable doing this. A gradual and thoughtful return to some of the things that have been unable for humans to participate is what we need and though we did not expect this, the idea of rushing out and embracing these newfound freedoms is something we all need to remain mindful of. Also, we have noticed some of the good habits many of adopted during lockdowns to promote wellbeing, like walking seem harder to fit in now, so oddly, there were some positive aspects too. 

If we remember back at the beginning of this pandemic we stood on our doors and clapped our NHS attended to the needs of or neighbors.  The hope is that as the world opens again such acts of kindness will not disappear.  The belief is no one ever is too busy just to take a moment every day to look out for the needs of others in a sensitive and loving way. Being light in someone else’s shadow not only lifts their wellbeing, but that of our own of something that comes naturally to us rather than forced or volunteered.

The lyrics of this song are interesting concepts by Matt Anderson, the lyrics talk of getting back to where we used to be, we used to stand side by side, without a question or a lie, who would have thought we would disagree.  This song was heavily used on TV advertisements by the NHS back in March and April 2020, when little was known about Covid-19. In hindsight now we know a lot more now than we did which is a positive change. Yet there is still a lot more awareness and learning to be achieved.  The world will never be as it once the world we knew it to be, there’s a whole new vocabulary of words and language; There’s now even something known as ‘Covid Fatigue’.

And just because our faces are now 98% of the time covered does not mean we should lose our smiles, frowns, and tears.  These are natural human reactions to everyday situations, maybe it means we must work a little harder at recognizing them with each other. We have a duty of care to each other if we want to see progress in the ‘Roadmap’ to the new world opening its eyes.

And finally, a little written rhyme the author of this blog, you may even print and cut it out and place it on your shelve or fridge;

"keep opening doors and letting others safely through, do not close the world again to you them nor us. Embrace the new world with courage cautious care. Here the birds and see the trees dance as they did just then and before. Listen to you own wellbeing when it whispers of time to play and  when it needs a gentle rest. Love and laugh, Mourn and cry. Covid will still do its thing but God willing in its time it will lose its sting. But life will be born the life and will die. Take each moment as comes and always remember the tortoise won the race, small steps and fewer giants leaps. Remember this if nothing else 'Covid can't remove the Love and Grace of God.

Thanks for your ears and eyes upon my writing waffle. Please don't forget to leave a thought or suggestion in the comments below. 

Take Care,

Midlife Writer