Day Seven

Feest Isolation Days – 21 March 2020

Stress!  We are all going to experience it sometime wherever we are and whatever we’re doing. We are collectively anxious about the same things at the moment; what is happening to our families and friends and to our world?  Feelings of anxiety are normal at a time like this.  According to the experts, you can expect to feel panicky from time to time. The trick is not to stew in the panic and the mental health mantra, name it to tame it might  just be useful. Okay I named it – fear of the future.

My solution yesterday was a good cry and a good cuddle.  That helped enormously.  But then.  Wine…Terry and I drank our wine and yours last night.  Our guests who were supposed to be coming to dinner last night yep we had their share too!  The dinner that we had to cancel.  It’s been a stressful week. What’s going to happen to our kids and grandkids future.  And my oh my didn’t that wine just take the edge off!  Until of course morning arrived and we both felt awful.  Lesson learned for what feels like the tenthousandth time.  We only drink at the weekend.  Friday night to Sunday we share a bottle of wine…unless one of you are with us and we’re entertaining and then we shift our consumption days. (Or Terry is at book group, film club etc..)  Are we alone in our stress fuelled wine consumption?  I doubt it! I’m told, but obviously can’t verify, the stocks of wine at Sainsbury’s and Tesco are very low. 

We won’t be drinking anyone else’s share again throughout this isolation period, that’s for certain!  If we do I’ll let you know and one of you can remind me we said we wouldn’t.  We are pretty good at keeping our word.  Back to the stress issue that caused us to reach for the wine… sitting at my desk writing away there is NOTHING I need to stress about.  The sun is out for a change and the daffs are up.  My study is as lovely as ever, the kids are all okay and we are fine.  I even had a friend bring flowers round to the front door this morning and we chatted face to face -us two stories up as we leaned out the bedroom window and he sat on the stoop by the front door.  The virus that he probably doesn’t have can’t fly that far.  Just speaking to him face to face was great though. I remember that mantra from my youth…Be Here Now.  It was the title of a book by Baba Ram Dass (aka Richard Alpert) who got lots of things wrong but got that one right.

A friend who lives in Clifton Village told me about a great street party they held earlier this week. Everyone went to their front gardens at the given hour – all organised on email –  with a glass of wine (a glass …..!) and stayed in their own gardens well away from everyone else but all cheered and sang a rousing song together.  It lifted their spirits no end.  We are social beings and we need to find those sorts of things that keep us connected.  Let me know if any you have other ideas like that for staying connected while apart.   Also, if anyone wants to share some insights from your part of the world, please let me know by email and I’ll post them.

Today I am going to share something funny – there are tons of these things doing the rounds but I’ll only choose one or two a day and only share the ones that make me hoot with laughter. Norman Cousins says  “Laughter serves as a blocking agent. It’s like a bulletproof vest, it may help protect you against the ravages of negative emotions that can assault you in disease.

I’m also going to share something of beauty. Our New Zealand friend Rosemarie has a talented daughter who makes gorgeous flower displays and then photographs them. She’s looking for a  name for this. 

Let me know what you think.  If you would like a few more images of beauty you can visit her here https://www.facebook.com/EmmaBassPhotography

See you tomorrow….I’m going for a nap!  I had a hysterically funny morning!

With Love

Kathyx