I am just back into the office after three weeks away. It was a good time off. Happy to report that my knee is better. Oh it's not perfect, but I am walking without the aid of a cane and not saying too many bad words as I do so. I spent some time cleaning at home. I know not very exciting. We took advantage (by sheer luck) of the one clear week and spent three days in Jasper and a day in Edmonton. I read four mystery novels, managing to solve the mystery on two of them before the detective did in the book. For the first time since the beginning of COVID I saw two movies in the theatre: Jungle Cruise (a fun romp as long as you didn't think about it too much) and the Aretha Franklin biopic RESPECT which was excellent. I watched some of the Olympics and cheered Canada on.
Too some, my list might seem quite small. In other years, I have managed to go on wonderful trips overseas. I have been challenged by a friend to post 20 pictures of my travels on my Facebook page and I am amazed that I am having to pick and choose because I have been blessed with such wonderful holidays. To others, they might wonder how I managed to do so many things in the midst of a pandemic. Well we did travel safely. We masked and used hand sanitizer. At the movie theatre, I chose seats away from others and near the back so was not near anyone and no one could breathe down my neck. So I tried to keep myself and others safe from getting sick.
It was good to have a rest. Things have been so different during the pandemic. Just when we think we have a handle on the situation, new reality, new rules, new scenarios are introduced. For a few weeks I did not have to think about it. Now coming back, we are planning. When do we open up, how do we keep our members safe, how do we manage the risk in the midst of the fourth wave. But during the time of rest, I was able to just be me. I was able to do things that I don't normally find time to do.
I think all of creation teaches us the importance of a time to relax. Bears for instance hibernate during the winter. In this part of the world, the land goes dormant for a number of months, in preparation for next year's planting and crops. Birds fly south for the winter. The trees drop their leaves. Other parts of the world might not see such dramatic changes in their seasons but they do happen. A friend posted that the windchill in Sydney this morning was -0.3C and that just does not happen there.
The change in seasons reflects the change we all need. We need a change, no matter how slight, from our regular routines to do something different. Whether it is s a staycastion or a large trip, we need that break. We need release from our routine. We need change even if it is for just a bit. Then we come back to our routine with new fresh eyes. Now back to work. Blessings
