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Lockdown Eases Up
The rules of lockdown have been slightly relaxed and more people are going about their business and near ‘normal’ lives. Officially we are all to be 2 meters apart from one another and only mix with one other person outside our own household. Schools are still debating whether to re-open and a few service shops are opening their doors.
I’ve got Ollie booked in for a groom next week but ‘my grooming’ will have to wait a while yet as hairdressers are not due back until early July.
What Have We Learned In Lockdown?
It has been said to me on various occasions that if we didn’t have the bad times then we wouldn’t appreciate the good times. They would all mingle into one and life would be somewhat mundane and tedious.
The same goes for sadness and that elusive word beginning with H………..Happiness!
We know when we are sad, it could be from grief, sorrow, or disappointment, or just that gloomy feeling that envelops us out of the blue. But what really is happiness?
I often read about gratitude, being thankful for the little things as well as the big. Gratitude for our families, our health, our homes, and taking it a step further. Gratitude for the food we eat, the flowers that grow in our gardens, the birds that sing in the trees, and the simple joy of a fresh cup of coffee.
But does Gratitude make us happy?!……..
Has Lockdown Altered Our Perceptions
As I take Ollie for his daily walk I see lots of families enjoying bicycle rides and laughing together. Not something so prominent pre-lockdown. Yes, the weather has been glorious but how many kids would have bonded in family activities before, or parents had the chance to spend quality time.
I’ve seen couples enjoying long walks together, conversing more. Has this time brought them closer, has it rebuilt rocky relationships, or has it been a deciding factor in calling a holt to their unity?
The Future
As the country/world moves forward and faces the economic struggles, will people remember this episode in their lives? Will the family bonding be upheld, and the community spirit continue?…….time with tell.
As for me, yes I am so grateful that friends and family have so far pulled through this awful pandemic. I am grateful I have somewhere safe to live, and the fundamentals to make my world go round.
But does this make me happy?!……………..
That Elusive Word Beginning With H……
I was giving this careful thought as I jumped into my car to pop to the Post Office. The music CD (Woman to Woman) that I always play cut in and I suddenly thought……..’Yes I love this music, this makes me happy‘, as it brings back those memories of driving through France this time last year, of the exploring, the emotions I felt and the people I met.
It’s the memories we make that can bring happiness…….when the kids were small, holidays, new relationships, and also the thought that there are so many new memories still to make!
Happiness is different for everyone and we can all have a different interpretation. I wonder how many people will have spent this time reassessing what makes them ‘happy’ and will use these months in lockdown to change direction in their job, relationship, or merely take up a new hobby.
There are hundreds of self-help books, happiness journals, and promises to make life more wonderful, but if we really think about it, it is the decisions we make and the choices we take that define our level of ‘happiness’…..and remembering why we made those!
