Posted on

Two Weeks in Quarantine: Day Eleven

It would be very easy, stuck in our quarantine room for eleven days, to only see the negatives: the loss of freedom, the isolation, the noise from the building site opposite…

So I decided today that I would deliberately look out for the goodness, truth and beauty around.

And here is what I found:

  • The goodness of four young adults enjoying a game of Four Square in the middle of the exercise yard
  • The goodness of the armed forces, security guards and hotel staff doing their jobs diligently and with friendliness and grace
  • The goodness of Mma Ramotswe’s kind words to her assistant Charlie in Alexander McCall Smith’s latest novel (yes, I know that the traditionally-built proprietor of the Number One Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana is only a fictional character, but she is portrayed so well that her goodness still shines through!)
  • The goodness of discovering that the 24-storey building site across the road is actually a gutting and recycling of an old building, thus helping to reuse resources and reduce waste, rather than demolishing and starting from scratch
  • The truth portrayed in a couple of research papers submitted to our journal
  • The truth that is slowly coming together as I think about a paper for my PhD
  • The truth embraced by the precision engineering on the building site – how it all holds together securely and safely
  • The unusual stunning beauty of the spikey flowers on the big red bromeliad on the exercise deck (alcantarea imperialis)
  • The pristine beauty of three white gardenias after Lois and I had gone round dead-heading them
  • And yes, even the ordered beauty of a well-constructed building
Posted on

Breakfast in Tuscany

 

Waking on my birthday to a cloudless Tuscan sky, the streets of Prato silent and empty in the cool of the morning (and no cafés open for a cappuccino and croissant), I wandered up the river seeking peace and beauty. A couple of miles on, I found my spot: away from the slowly waking town, shared only with egrets and a heron. I sat on a rock in the cool shade as the river gushed past me and the sun climbed slowly over verdant hills.

You spread a feast before me.

I am so blessed: from the wonder and joy of being with Lois – a second chance at life and love; the pride I take in Esther and Joe; the fulfilment I find in my work; the excitement of stepping out into pastures new.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.

Back in Coventry an exciting new start awaits – yes, it feels uncertain, a step in the dark. And yet, I feel a sense of peace and wholeness; an ability to trust; and a conviction that the journey is the right one.

You lead me to restful waters.

 

(and yes, I did eventually get my coffee and croissant!)

Prato Bridge