The warmth of a touch
The love it communicates
The care it shows
The gentleness it conveys
The attachment it demonstrates
The warmth of a touch
Consoling
Energizing
Life giving
Irreplaceable
The warmth of a touch
So much tenderness
So much ardour
So healing
So blissful
The warmth of a touch
Magical
Otherworldly
December 27th, 2021
I’ve graduated from wearing cloth masks to boring surgical masks
The blue ones still remind me of hospitals
So, I have the black version
They are disposable but can be worn more than once
No washing necessary as before but
I still leave the form of my lipsticked lips inside them
The down side of masks is that it’s hard to hear others talk
It’s hard to to be heard
My smile can’t be seen
They are inconvenient, but
Masks are essential during these times
The N95 variety preferably
Omicron is not playing games
It definitely means business
These years will be remembered as masked years
A few weeks turned into a few months, and now a few years
If there were more unity among us
Life would have been simpler
But some don’t see it that way
They don’t want to be told what to do
They don’t want to conform
They question science
They don’t trust the experts
Countries need to cooperate too
We are not isolated entities anymore
What happens in one country will affect the other ones
Unless we come together and be united in our thoughts
Unless we are mindful of the influence of our actions on others
We will be wearing masks for a while longer
This is our reality right now
What we do affects the outcome
December 26th, 2021
We thought we were reaching the end
We thought we had done enough sanitizing
Enough distancing
Enough not socializing
We thought online schooling was a thing of the past
We thought vaccines protected us
We thought the holiday parties would take place
We thought we could go into work again
But we were mistaken
Along came Omicron
And away went our hopes and plans
Omicron which attacks with a vengeance
Omicron which evades vaccines
Omicron that transmits easily
Omicron where did you come from?
Why are you here?
Maybe we are not cooperating enough
Maybe we are not united in our actions and thoughts
Maybe we didn’t think enough about other countries
Maybe, maybe, what now?
There are many lessons to be learned
To bring us together as one family
Where the welfare of one is the welfare of all
And the problems of one are the problems of all
We are learning these lessons the hard way
We tend to be stuck in our ways
December 19th, 2021
I’m at one of my favourite places, the coffee shop
Where I read and write and have time to myself
The place where I recharge my batteries
Things are not the same as before
We still wear masks
We still sanitize
And now we show our covid passports
But we can have coffee with friends now
The conversation is lively at the tables next to me
Whereas a few months ago I may be one of the two people staying for coffee
Everyone seemed to take coffee to go
I don’t come to the coffee shop as often as before though
Albert has been working from home, and we have our morning coffee together
I try to write at home
But there are always distractions
The coffee shop allows me to focus
And stay in my own world as long as I need
No one interrupts me
The door bell does not ring
No one asks me questions and derail the train of my thought
I need this solitude to write
I’m grateful for another visit to the coffee shop
November 3rd, 2021
Sitting here
Doing… not much
Relaxing after a couple of busy weeks
I don’t feel rushed to be anywhere
Don’t have to do anything at this very moment
These are the rare times of self care
When we are kind to ourselves
We all deserve a break
And my break looks like this
October 23rd, 2021
Daring to be is one of the hardest things
Daring to be exactly who you are and are meant to be
And not feel pressured by society or family
Daring not to conform to the rules
Daring not to take the beaten path
Daring to be different, to stand out and be true to oneself
Daring to be maybe difficult
But it’s the only way to serenity
October 10th, 2021
Fall is here
the carefree days of wearing sandals and dresses are gone
The scarves can come out
The verdure of the trees a waining
The magical colors of fall arrive
We will be indoors more
But we should not close our hearts
To kindness
To gentleness
To generosity
To love
Each season has its own beauty and prepares us for the one to come
Seasons change
Life goes on
And life is beautiful
If we try to bring some sunshine into someone else’s life
September 30th, 2021
Stay two meters away from each other
Don’t visit people at their homes in big numbers
Don’t fill up the coffee shops
Only so many people allowed
Sounds anti-social, doesn’t it?
But it’s our reality now and we can’t let our guard down yet
The variants are rampant
Areas that are doing well suddenly flare up
Where you can fly to and not fly to keeps changing
Some countries, you can visit only in groups
The sanitizer bottle is omnipresent
Masks still adorn our faces
How much longer?
That’s a good question
It depends a little on how much
Responsibility we will take in combating this disease
Some people still deny its existence
They refuse to wear masks and socially distance
Vaccines are out of the question for them
And on the other hand
There are countries that are having a challenge
Vaccinating a population that wants to be vaccinated
It’s a messy and dangerous situation
The hospitals are filled to capacity
The medical staff work long hours and are tired
So politicians try to give people incentives to get vaccinated
Money, lotteries, gifts, whatever they can think of
It’s a strange, strange world we live in
One we could not have imagined two years ago
September 6th, 2021
We’ve had an unusual year and a half
All the distancing
All the worrying
All the isolation
All the confusion
All the triumphs and failures
All of us pulling together most times
But some being more lucky in their access to what they need
Our world is not operating as a whole yet
We are still segmented into countries and tribes
Otherwise we would probably be in a different place now
Will we learn our lesson?
I’m not sure
Our nationalism has a strong hold on us
In a world that operates as a whole
We insist on only looking out only for ourselves
There is mistrust
There is lack of compassion
There is lack of unity
What is for sure it that now to solve our problems
We need to work together
Today’s world works as a unit
And the sooner we figure that out the better
September 1st, 2021
Why do we value certain activities over other ones?
Why is working in an office remunerated but not raising a child?
Why is someone’s worth equated with the job they do?
Why is a skilled worker building a house not valued
As much as the architect who designed the house?
We’ve created these categories in our minds
Certain jobs are more desirable
Certain activities more worthwhile
In reality, we need each and every occupation
For a society to function
Imagine if the garbage men go on strike
The history of what is valuable work for women
Has changed over time
From being a mother and an educator
Responsible for the affairs of the home
To working outside the home and competing with men
Perhaps we need to move to the next stage
And value unpaid work again
Rearing and education children
Keeping an orderly home
Volunteering
Artistic work
Caring for the sick and aged
Rewarding these activities monetarily would be great
But until then, we can just value them
For the real and essential ‘jobs’ they are
Any activity that serves a purpose and serves the community
Should be valued
August 30th, 2021
lida's musings 