Back to Basics- A Walk with a Friend

 

As the effects of the pandemic rose and we began to sit quietly in our homes not knowing any new information of when life will be the same- no cut-off date, no how, no when, no where, it seems we began to find comfort in what we used to take for granted. Anything from calls with a friend to sitting outside with family on a nice, sunny day. It seems the world is slowing down. Could this be what we all need?

 

Yesterday, I came back from a walk with a friend with rouge cheeks and a sense of calm. While we had to stay two metres apart and could not hug to seeing eachother again, despite it was the first time we saw each other in over a month, it felt like old times. Two or three years ago, when we did not have anything to do, we would say apathetically ‘let’s just go on a walk.’ It was the option when there was absolutely nothing else to do. It was kind of a failure at finding something better. Now, going on a walk with a friend seems like a luxury. It is simple but so comforting during these times. Not everything HAS to be go go go and, during the crisis, it is time to realise this.

 

I asked my friend, Tracy Owonta, her thoughts on “going back to basics” during our plain, neighbourhood route.

 

“During the crisis it’s good to realise and appreciate things around you more, especially in this type of period when you just stay with your family. Normal life is always busy, you’re not really concentrating on the present, you’re thinking about what’s going to happen in the future. In these times, we’re definitely focusing more on the present and on what’s happening right now.’

 

It's true. What needs appreciating seems clearer now.

 

Here are ten ‘basics’ to appreciate.

  1. Flowers blooming
  2. The birds chirping
  3. The sun waking you up in the morning
  4. Not always having a plan
  5. Not always having people to meet up with
  6. Reading
  7. Writing
  8. Naps
  9. Face Time Calls
  10. Looking back at photos/memories

 

Honestly, I never thought our generation would see this, but here we are- slowing down. Perhaps, only in a few years will we be able to look back on these times and see how it changed us. However, for now, all there is left to do is keep enjoying the basics.