Christmas and vaccines

Hi everyone

I was out this evening throwing a ball for Bramble our Labrador.  Reflecting my mood, the clouds were low, it was cold, there was faint drizzle. For Bramble the weather was utterly irrelevant – she is a retriever to her bones and expresses that completely and relentlessly whenever she can and in whatever the conditions. Lesson one - total passionate commitment leads to joy independent of outside forces.   Miraculously the clouds lifted and suddenly there was clarity on the horizon, a beautiful sunset and I actually felt joyful (not a frequent experience for this writer!). Beyond every cloud there is a silver lining. Lesson two – moods are variable when you are not completely immersed in an activity.

And so it is for most of us with the pandemic.  Suddenly the vaccines are within stabbing distance and the clouds are lifting.  They are like buses – you wait for ages then three come along together.  Of course we will have to wait our turn but you know they are en route.  All of them look great – effective and safe – the Oxford one made in the traditional way like the flu jab, the others using a novel approach which may prove to be the way of the future.  It really does feel liberating after these months of carefulness and relative isolation.

Which brings me to Christmas – I sense a nervousness about having family come into the home.  (Curiously it is our very own home, our ‘castle’,  that is most restricted now – in tier two you can eat outside with friends from up to six households but only have the one bubble at home). Is it worth the risk?  Like a gambler who has stacked a healthy surplus and then wonders whether to stake all on a final inviting bet. The covid incidence is falling and will probably be even lower by the 25th (before, I suggest, rising again).  It is a calculation everyone must make.  How important is the contact? And to have the contact at Christmas?

Meanwhile I notice a new issue – I have taken on a range of sustaining activities at home during lockdown – such as more time in the vegetable garden, making more contact with friends, yoga and stretching, some woodwork, bridge on line, some support work – and as the traditional activities become available again choices will have to be made.  Every activity has an ‘opportunity cost’. This is where the gift of the pandemic may lie – a revisioning of our activities so we do not return to exactly the same pattern as before but spend time on those closer to our heart.  The most nourishing are usually those in which you become totally absorbed – the Bramble teaching.  Including Christmas with family?

For some light relief I have just watched The Queens’ Gambit on Netflix – seven increasingly enjoyable episodes. Along with The Crown………..

Finally, to get some much needed perspective, I am resending the second musical clip from last week with a new and hopefully working link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f7OwFqTnco

with love