March 27

March 27, 2020

The morning lazes frantically along until my wonderful wife explains she has offered to help some friends that are in quarantine.  My wife, the one who still has full time work.  I step in and offer to go and help out, she should stay home and work.   Anything to have a project, get out of the house.

Feeling like I am in a spy movie I am told to pick up the dog on the porch tied to a wheel barrow and to grab the envelope of money and the bottle of wine.  Step one: accomplished and Hendrix the dog is in the back of the car on the way to the dog groomer.  Step two: back to the grocery store. 

I am becoming an expert on running the gauntlet that is the grocery store social distance dance.  The cart is the shield, the barrier.  Still no TP!!! Thankfully that is not on the list.  The dance continues, some people just don’t get it. Or don’t care?  I get blocked in the dairy aisle, quick run past the person, the virus won’t get me!  Strange days indeed!

Sometimes it’s amazing how the smallest things can make a person connect. I barely see our friends that need the supplies and the dog groomed, yet I know the gratitude they feel, trapped in their home.  I drop the groceries off in the wheel barrow and bring a much skinnier and happier Hendrix back to his loving home.  I feel a bit warmer than before as I return to my home, my safe place.

Another walk, up the hill this time, we hold hands, afraid to let go.  We stop at the top aware more than ever of the landscape surrounding us.  We turn around and hold on to each other while we breathe in the beauty engulfing us.  The lake is like a mirror in front of the snow covered mountains, reflecting the clouds that loom wondrously overhead, filling the evening sky.  Breathing again we feel the glory of nature down through the souls of our feet.

Walking home, we hold on to each other, grateful for the love and power of the world around.   Hoping that tomorrow will bring another glorious day in our wondrous corner of the world.