Living Life Twice

In these times of social solitude, I  have been consciously delving back into books previously read. Pulling titles from the shelves and rediscovering treasure among the pages. It is proving a rich and rewarding experience. Stimulating thought, arousing curiosity and prompting action. Yesterday, it was Robert McFarlane’s ‘ Landmarks ’ published in 2016. A celebration of landscapes and language. McFarlane writes with fierce enthusiasm for the wonderful words residing in the natural world. He cites a 2012 national report concerning ‘Natural Childhood’ conducted in the UK concerning the lives of children between 1970 and 2010. The report noted that the area children were permitted to play unsupervised shrank by 90 % across that period. A dramatic downturn in free range play in untamed or wild places. Across successive generations the roaming radius of children has collapsed to mean just the house, the garden if one exists and the pavement in front of the house. Increasingly,

In these strange and unusual days, we  choose our personal responses, our coping mechanisms, our attitudes. For some, it is a chance to explore, revisit and discover. An opportunity to be creative. Boredom can do that. I recall as a child how a sense of boredom frequently lead to inventiveness. I am constantly amazed by the plethora of videos exploring humour and creativity. Some people (across all age groups) are using the time to explore new perspectives. I have chosen to view this time as solitude rather than isolation. For me isolation has a negative connotation and I do not wish to succumb to such characterization of my time. I have accepted the need to live like this. In some ways I am fortunate that I can make such a choice. In reality, I have no choice for I am part of a group who live with a compromised health condition. This virus presents as a significant danger to me personally.Even if the restrictions are eased, for me it will be, a quiet winter. I am fortunate to be