Suddenly those who have been shielding in the UK for the past two months are allowed to leave their houses from tomorrow. Suddenly the eighteen year plans for a space taxi run by a private company in the USA are realised. Suddenly things change.
We have been locked down in the UK for ten weeks and now we are being allowed more freedom. Shops are opening up, people shielding can again pick up their lives to a certain extent.
And suddenly life is back to normal? But it isn’t. And in my view it never will be. Because in this pandemic over 37,000 UK citizens have lost the fight against the virus. And I personally feel extremely sober and sad about that horrendously high figure.
There is hope that one day our ‘suddenly’ will come along. Suddenly will change things. Suddenly things that have been stagnant will start to shift, suddenly a dream will be realised, suddenly we will meet that special someone.
However I think we need to counterbalance the suddenly with the everyday. The mundane. Hope is in both. Hope is in the everyday plodding, the routine, the washing up, preparing meals, doing the washing and so forth. And hope is in the excitement of something becoming different. Hope is in the today and the tomorrow. Hope carries us forwards.
During this lockdown experience I have learnt many lessons. I have learnt about kindness, compassion and care. I have received these gifts. I have learnt about the power of social media and how to use this. I am appreciating my contact with friends and family in a far richer and more meaningful way. And the biggest lesson of all is to be kind to myself, to show myself self-compassion.
When the suddenly doesn’t show up it actually doesn’t matter. When things remain the same, hope can still live on. I saw on the news today about rioting in America over the tragic death of a black man at the hands of a policeman. Suddenly everyone’s anger is ignited at injustice. Suddenly can be a tipping point as well as a wonderful surprise slicing through our day.
Today’s recipe of hope is to consider the ‘suddenly’ of life. If you are stuck in a rut, then consider how to reach for that ‘suddenly’. If you are preparing for a ‘suddenly’; going out again after shielding then it is worth mentally preparing for that too. If you are preparing for a day such as a wedding, enjoy the journey, as much as the destination.
I wish you all, peace and joy, whatever your circumstances X
