Is that a light at the end of the tunnel?
Many, if not all of us are asking that now, in this time of deep uncertainty.
The classic answer in the UK is that it is an oncoming train, (thus the cameo role of trains in the video below). Unfortunately in the US it was used in the Vietnam war to refer to fire bombs chucked into the vietcong tunnels. Not nice.
Either way this is not boding well. Not well at all....
I, however, would like to offer you a different point of view.
I am concerned that we have lost sight of the world around us, our new reality. This new 'normal'. To look for the light at the end of this tunnel is to find ourselves missing out on what is most important in life. The tunnel itself. That which is happening NOW.
I'll give you a metaphorical example. (Philosophy is definitely my thing today, along with metaphors...) In our garden we have a jasmine tunnel. It's a tunnel made of old concrete reinforcement rods, but what the hell, it's a great support for the jasmine that we're growing on it.
It goes from the back gate of the garden to the 'lower levels'.
But no, it is so much more than that. As you walk through it, just soak in the smells. The odour is both subtle and yet overpowering. Stunning. Here is another world, between here and there, full of sensations. Smells, colours. Life.
And that is where we are now. That is my somewhat laboured point. To get to where we are going may take more than just a long time, it may take the rest of our lives. We need to live were we are now, to the full. It's just a different life, that's all.
We need to adjust. To adapt.
When I was a young kid, I wanted to be a vet. (Lucky that really.) But there were other possibilities. Maybe something with biology? But always with animals.
Then life took over. Time moved on.
Stress mounted.
Maybe a change? Maybe do something else? Get out of this cycle of anxiety. Hmmmm... How about gardening?
Lot's of possibilities out there, but some definitely never came onto my radar. For example, I never ever wanted to be a chef. The hours, the frustration, the hassle.
Fast forward to our new reality.
My time now revolves around the house (aka the garden), trying vainly to keep fit, and cooking.
And attempting to remain sane.
This is absolutely not what I had envisaged, but it is here, it is the new now.
So why not make the most of it?
Change it from a chore to a challenge.
So what, that we have to social distance? So what, that we have to wear masks? So what, that we have to be alert? (Whatever the f**k that means.)
Life is worth fighting for. Even in the kitchen...
And so to this month's Lockdown video. Two months of confinement in one of the best places on the planet. Who can complain? The fact that my life now revolves around the intestines of my mother-in-law is not a problem. It's an opportunity.
Hahaha.
For those of you who haven't seen our latest family extravaganza, here it is; Jon on guitar, Lisa singing and myself on blues harp and photo-mangling machine...
See you next month, virtually or otherwise...
