A moment of gratitude,
Lockdown easing.
The lockdown period may have changed how we view things,
Things that we previously took for granted suddenly became hard to come by,
Or non-existent as supermarkets struggled to meet supply and other businesses closed their doors.
The things we did every day,
Even the places we went,
Were no longer open or we weren't able to go to.
I'm conscious that everywhere is at different stages in the virus and in the lockdown,
Be that full lockdown or partial measures.
Everyone is still experiencing what is being called the new normal.
As the lockdown measures have eased and businesses have started reopening,
We can again visit places that have been cut off for us for a long time now and it gives us chance to have gratitude for the things that we have missed.
And it can be something small as well as the more significant changes.
When we were allowed to travel somewhere new to exercise,
It made a huge difference to us,
To our mental health,
To be able to go somewhere beyond the same streets and go back to somewhere in nature such as the woods or the moors to reconnect with nature.
These walks were something we had always done prior to the lockdown and I think we had only really appreciated the difference they make to our lives once we had time to really miss them.
My husband got his first post-lockdown haircut,
Which I know he was very grateful for,
And many of us have been able to visit family members and friends which will have brought great joy and comfort to be able to reconnect to those we have loved and missed.
Conversely,
There will be things from the lockdown period that we might also miss.
I've seen posts on social media from those in places like London who missed the sound of birdsong already.
This time allowed us to focus on some of the things we don't normally get time to do,
Such as reading or crafting,
Learning or cooking.
Maybe we will make a change to our usually busy lives to include more of what we love now,
Taking more time to focus on the simple things rather than rushing around and never really stopping to savour the moment.
So today's moment of gratitude is about thinking of what we are now grateful for as the lockdown eases and the normal gradually comes back in.
I would love to hear what you've learnt from this unique time and what you might carry forward now that we've lived that different life.
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And we're on Medium if you prefer to read these where we are a moment of gratitude.
Until next time,
Always have gratitude.
