Today I’m feeling grateful. Glad that I enjoy my own company and being with myself. My partner Steve has been spending a lot of his time helping at our local food bank. Not only do they have less volunteers, there is less food being donated from grocery stores—yet more people in need of help right now. As for me, I’m spending my mornings walking above a marsh area along the Salt River at Tempe Marketplace. (There’s rarely anyone else, aside from an occasional bike rider or someone walking their dog—all of us, of course, keeping our distance.)
I get my exercise but I mostly enjoy watching the birds.
They have no idea—and wouldn’t care anyway—what’s happening in the world. They just continue to go about their business—it’s the spring mating season and they’re quite busy.
After my walk I spend a couple of hours weeding our Escalante Community Garden (and, with the rains we’ve had, there’s plenty to keep me busy). There is rarely anyone there so I essentially have the place to myself. Me . . . the birds, the veggies and the flowers. It’s exquisitely quiet, peaceful and very beautiful.
But there are many people right now having such a hard time and feeling very isolated. This time on the planet is very surreal. My prayer is that some good — some healing — for the planet will come of this.
I’m doing my usual: walking, gardening, reading — just being grateful for my life. But so many others are having some very big challenges. Many places are closing. Many people and businesses are effected. No more volunteering at a the Desert Botanical Garden where we do tours. Sadly, it has closed its doors. Xanterra, the concessionaire in Yellowstone where we do tours every summer, has shut down all operations through May 21st. So no returning to Yellowstone to do tours this summer—for now.
Our last Sunday at the Botanical Garden was very strange, tours and discovery stations had already been shut down. We had gone anyway because we wanted to be able to answer any visitor questions—keeping our distance, but still helping in whatever way we could. It was weird having to keep our distance. (I don’t know why this is called “social” distancing; I’m way too social to keep a distance.) We decided we enjoy interacting with folks too much for this “social” distancing. We weren’t surprised when the email arrived that they had made the difficult decision to close the Desert Botanical Garden—for the first time since World World II.
Hopefully all of this isolation from each other will keep the virus from spreading more. My prayer is that everyone realizes how important the people are in our lives. Yes, the things we’re ordinarily able to do, we can’t. More importantly—hopefully we’ll really grasp how precious everyone in our lives is to us. This is impacting so many people in so many ways we’ve never had to deal with before.
My friend Tyrene posted the music video from 1985, “We Are the World” on Facebook. It really touched me. I was bawling. So many thoughts of how, not only had we lost some of the performers in that video, but also how very appropriate it is today. We ARE the world and we need to come together—not just to keep from getting sick ourselves, but possibly helping someone else from getting sick.
The Corona Virus is having a major impact on many people. There are many that really need that paycheck they’re probably losing right now. They’ve got bills. They’ve got kids to feed. There are many very fearful people on the planet right now.
For me, today, I’m grateful to enjoy the little things in life: going for a walk, siting in my yard watching the birds, weeding the garden, and reading. It’s forcing me to notice, and enjoy, what I have and who I have in my life right now. It makes me realize how very grateful I am. I keep reminding myself this isn’t forever. My prayer is that more good than anything will come of all of this. I’m just trying to pay attention to all the little things that bring me joy and be grateful.
It’s some strange times we’re in right now that’s for sure. But if I can become a better, more peaceful, more grateful person out of all this weirdness, I’ll be glad for that. This too shall pass. I’m going to use this extra time I’ll have here at home this spring and look forward to returning to Yellowstone either later this spring—or next year. We’ll see how it goes. I just want to fully appreciate wherever I am. Thankful.