It’s the first Friday of T3 and somehow it’s the middle of April. As have many of you, this week I have had a roller-coaster of emotions, so wasn’t sure what today’s ‘thoughts’ were going to be about, or what they would focus on. Something upbeat or something which brought a wry smile to my face, something which made me think deeply or even something which made me laugh out loud. Many things have brought a wry smile, and many have made me laugh out loud but probably not really for sharing in such a public forum. I decided, instead, to write about introspection.
It is currently a time of reflection for many cultures and peoples around the world. It is the month of Ramadan, Baisakhi and Songkran were earlier this week and it is Good Friday. Religious or not, each of these periods of time mark a need to be introspective. For many, it is now day 15 of a 4-day lockdown, and for others it is day 30+. Food and water has been scarce, and again, for the vast majority of us, this is the first time we will have experienced this. The biggest issue being faced by those of us here in lockdown, I believe, is not a scarcity of either food or water per se, but the lack of ability to procure it. This situation reminded me vividly of a very close friend who did VSO in Africa. She said to me that one of the most powerful moments for her was the realisation not that people were starving because there was a lack of food, but because they could not afford it. There was food in the shops, it was just inaccessible to them. Humbling.
We have all come across ‘motivational’ quotes which refer to not judging people by how they act and treating them with kindness because you never know what they are experiencing in private. This is no more true than it is now. As teachers (and anyone who works in a school), we have to put on our ‘game face’ and be that ‘swan’ for the benefit of those around us. I don’t want to dwell on the challenging nature of these days and weeks, but instead to remind everyone that there is always someone they can reach out to; there is always someone who can listen and, most of the time, someone who can help.
Suddenly having more time on my hands, I have decided to use some of it productively (no, catching up on even more box sets wasn’t at the top of my list), I decided that I should ‘tidy up’ the photos on my phone. What a trip down memory lane that has been so far (I’m not yet finished). So many happy memories of people, places and times. This, along with the warmer weather this week, has served to remind me just what a beautiful and incredible city I live in. For the first time, I am aware of a plethora of bird song and reminded of the contrasting beauty of the greenery with the Pudong skyline in the background. I remember when I first moved in to my current apartment, and every morning I would stand in the window and ‘greet’ the city, and then at night I would say ‘goodnight’. The curtains were never closed – why would I want to shut the city out? (We are not overlooked either…) It is easy to get bogged down with the realities of daily life and forget to take pleasure in the small things. Somewhere along the line, I stopped doing this (probably when the central heating got turned on) and didn’t ever return to it.
This morning, when standing in my window thinking of what cheery upbeat message to send to the community, I could hear the wind howling around the building. I live on the 18th floor, so this is not unusual, however seeing a piece of plastic being blown around in my eyeline is. It reminded me of the bag scene in American Beauty; the one when my friend’s then boyfriend burst out giggling when the whole cinema was in awestruck silence at the simple beauty… we should look for those moments even more when we are facing challenges.
During my scrolling, I came across a beautiful poem which made me reflect on the importance of taking time out and spending time with ourselves, when times are tough. If not in nature, then wherever we feel calm or just wherever we are. So I will leave you with the words of Wendell Berry.
Happy Friday everyone, we have made it through another week, and will be ready for what comes next.
The Peace of Wild Things
By Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Music today is, ahem, Pink’s greatest hits (my YouTube playlists auto play…), so, not for the first time this week, she is telling me to ‘Try’. Timely…
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