Emily:
Well things have changed a bit in the last week, haven't they? Amidst the panic, fear and sadness that the past few weeks have brought, one thing that has really stood out to me is that for so long I have neglected the many lovely little things that happen in a day. Now that we have a lot more time at home, we have been purposefully trying to seek out the good parts of the day. This week’s ‘small thing’ was finding a completely secluded footpath near our house so that we could take our walk outside without seeing a single soul. Another ‘small thing’ was being able to do some weeding in the garden while listening to an audiobook. Thankfully, Audible has released hundreds of free audiobooks for you to listen to. We started listening to this one today!
However, I am mindful that some people still have to go to work (and for that, I am so incredibly grateful) and some people are going through horrendous times and finding ‘the small things’ in day to day life may be a challenge. But for those that can, it makes these odd days a little bit more bearable.
A few weeks ago I was sitting at the table doing some work on my steam-powered laptop when all of a sudden I heard a strange sound coming from behind. I can’t really describe it. It was like two crepe paper pieces rubbing together. I turned around and the only living thing behind me was the daffodils that we had just brought home. I investigated further and the once closed bunch of daff’s now had one colourful firstborn. I had heard a daffodil open. Now if you could indulge me for a moment… I wrote a poem for this momentous occasion. Life’s a bit slower now, can you tell? But here it is:
The Daffodil Day
I heard a daffodil open once
It wasn’t a miraculous event
Or even a notable one
But it happened
And I was there
I was a witness to progression
Change
Transfiguration
Well
Perhaps it was miraculous
In that I was invited into a
Sacred occasion
Its christening
A life event.
The daffodil opened
And nothing changed
But I did.
There we have it. A whole poem for a single daffodil. Pointless to some but it brought some joy to me.
And that's the point. If it brings you joy then that's great. Grab hold of it and look back on it when life gets a bit awful.
Stay safe, stay home and wash your hands.
Em x
