As we emerge from stay-at-home lockdown, we are finding a different way of life in our society. Everyone has been through a huge upheaval due to the coronavirus and, as of now, there is no end in sight to the duration of the virus and the changes it has brought.
Stress and anxiety are high. We contemplate the future and all we can be certain of is the uncertainty of how life will be. Change has happened at an alarming speed, so we try to cope. There are few answers as to what the future will bring and that is an uncomfortable thought.
As I have written in two previous blog articles, I turn to nature to give me support and happiness. Life has become simplified as I spend more time at home in my yard, focusing on gardens, plants, and my immediate environment. I try to live each day fully and have no expectations beyond the present.
The irises and peonies recently bloomed, and I made deliveries of these flowers to two friends, who were thrilled to receive them. We had a chance to socialize outside at a distance and actually see each other, which was nice. I felt great joy delivering these flowers.
Then I realized I was feeling joy during the day when I felt at ease doing chores that might be considered routine, such as kneading dough for a delicious pizza crust, cleaning the kitchen, and arranging flowers from my garden into bouquets. Ordinary chores have become extraordinary as I have slowed down and appreciated the present moment at home with an inner calm. Our worlds are now smaller and the moments at home have become bigger.
I am fortunate to live in a beautiful setting in the mountains of Western North Carolina. When I travel to higher elevations along the Blue Ridge Parkway, I feel tremendous peace as I look at the views of mountains, valleys, and clouds. I took the photo above at Craggy Gardens at Milepost 364 along the Parkway. Standing there I can see endless vistas on both sides of the Parkway and I feel the positive power of nature as the spring landscape unfolds below me at this high elevation of 5,500 feet.
I would like to close from a quote by the Dalai Lama: “The three factors that seem to have the greatest influence on increasing our happiness are our ability to reframe our situation more positively, our ability to experience gratitude, and our choice to be kind and generous.”
― Dalai Lama XIV, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World