Back to Basics

A different kind of spring has sprung this year with the corona virus pandemic bulldozing into the spring of 2020. Followed by the complete shutdown of the country and sudden struggle to acquire basic amenities, we find ourselves shaken up and completely out of our comfort zones. It has reminded us of how reliant we are on the proper functioning of food and service industries and the importance of a backup plan. Suddenly faced with the real problem of what if, we couldn’t get eggs, milk, butter, flour, etc and of course toilet paper? Most of us, during "The Great Pause" have reevaluated our priorities and discovered what is truly important at the end of the day.

This sudden halt of our crazy, fast-paced schedules, really cleared out our calendars and so, with nothing but free time, we go back to the basics. Taking up new hobbies that contribute to our basic survival has become a brilliant, popular way to channel and reduce our new-found fears and anxieties that have arisen out of this pandemic. Feeding stores cannot seem to keep chickens in stock and fruit and veggie gardens are now a must. There is something extremely grounding/calming about working with dirt and nature. Studies have shown how gardening reduces blood pressure and improves over all heart health. Our ancestors worked the land and had an ongoing relationship with nature, which had a huge impact on their very hardy and strong constitutions. When you have chickens running around the back yard and dirt on your hands from planting seeds, it creates an immediate state of calm, okay-ness and a sense that “we’ll be just fine.” Adopting our ancestors focus on utilizing nature and taking back some of the control for providing basic amenities to our families, just feels right. Our grandpa always had this kind of backup plan ready and able and now I see why.

It is wonderful to see completely empty bicycle aisles in the stores, everyone out walking instead of driving, and hiking is now an exciting weekend activity. All these stress reducing and health improving activities and have really shown us the importance of slowing down and finding time nurture ourselves. While we have all had our moments of going completely stir crazy, my sister and I have also had lots of "Pollyanna" moments of looking at all positive changes that have come out of it. We have had an abundance of time with our children and spouses and while it took some time to find our rhythm, once we did, we fell in love with the simple sweetness of our time together.

Like many polls that have recently come out, we really do not want to go back to our crazy schedules and the way things used to be. A slower pace with an emphasis on family and nature, is definitely better.

In the end, the overall shift in our focus, is a healthier one, and will hopefully be maintained, in some form or another, in the years to come.

For now here are few pictures of the work we have been doing as we reconnect with nature. I hope you are finding your own peace and fun activities during this interesting time.