We live in strange and uncertain times. There are days when I prefer not to watch the news, as whole countries go back into lockdown, economies plunge, the USA segregates into Republicans and Democrats, and record numbers of CoVid cases are counted.
It is easy to get a bit down by it all, but since nothing else can be done, let’s try to spin the negatives into new positives. Every prohibition defines some kinds of permission.
Instead of focusing on all the restrictions that we are living under, why not seek the possibilities within these limitations?
Compared to the seven weeks this spring when we couldn’t leave our homes and were limited to walking rounds on the terrace or trailing between the living room and the kitchen, we have considerably more freedom now.
Of course we have to wear masks, but at least we can go outside. So let’s be grateful for what we have and what we actually can do, and enjoy that we can prance around semi-freely, even if it only is in our own neighbourhood.
If you live in a town that is closed off, use this as an opportunity to explore your local surroundings. My husband and I often enjoy being tourists in our own town. We search for streets, alleys, and paths that we have never walked before.
There is always something new to discover, even if you just go in the opposite direction on the same old street.
When we see things from a new angle, a whole new world can open up before us.
Every season brings changes, which are also visible in the cityscapes.
With November comes darker nights, but also golden undertones and surprising patches of green.
Both in Scandinavia and North America where I used to live, this was a month we generally dreaded and wanted to get over with as soon as possible. It was dark, cold, wet and miserable. Most of all, it was colourless. In Andalucía, it seems that the colour spectrum of the seasons is reversed.
Summer usually arrives by May, when the landscape begins to dry out about the same time as the first spring buds open in the north. Similarly, when all gets grey and dark in the Northern hemisphere, life comes back to the Spanish south. After 6 months of practically no rain, the first November showers transform the Andalucian plains into a sea of iridescent green.
The fall is generally a dramatic time of the year. It is therefore, a perfect time to explore nature, with all it’s range of emotions and disguises.
And when the wind warnings and sheets of rain keep you inside, light a fire, make a cup of tea, read a book, or go on an inward voyage to places where the only restriction is your imagination.
