The Lockdown Rediscovery Challenge

One of the things I appreciate the most about being a writer on Illumination is the supportive community of writers here. Everyone is so encouraging and I am grateful to be a part of the publication.

I especially enjoy a good challenge.

Thank you Trista Ainsworth and Holly Jahangiri for your writing challenges. I especially love the idea of calling it Socially Acceptable Solitude. What a perfect description of this “Great Pause”.

This challenge originated within the ILLUMINATION publication, but I’m choosing to pull in a couple of writers outside the publication. So, if you have no idea why you were tagged in this, or what in the world is going on, that’s why.

Here goes:

What are Three Things Have I Rediscovered During the Lockdown.

It’s been a long 8 weeks, isolating at home with my partner. We are luckier than most. Living on a bit of property in a small town in Canada, I can go outside. It’s not as crowded as a city here and I’m grateful that I have a garden to play in. Also, the weather has been great -there’s no snow.

Ok, now for the challenge:

What I’ve Rediscovered During the Great Pause:

My neighbors.

The discovery that I am enjoying the most is meeting my neighbors. To be honest, I didn’t know most of them before the pandemic. We would sometimes wave at each other from the comfort of our cars as we passed on the street. But we rarely met anyone when we went out.

Daily walks are the new norm and I’ve noticed so many other people are doing the same thing. Now that everyone is home most of the time, we see neighbors working in their yards when we go out. It’s common to pause at the end of a driveway, exchanging news. I’m really enjoying it.

When we are out of this pickle, I think a party is in order.

I think I’ve inherited the Harvester Gene

I have a secret passion to confess. I like to garden, but it’s more than that. I like to grow food. When I visit the local garden center I don’t spend much time browsing the flower section or looking at the hanging baskets.

I’m more likely to be found investigating the new species of blueberries or apple trees.

While I love a good harvest, I’m willing to plant trees that might not bear fruit in my lifetime. I believe in sending gifts to future generations who will appreciate the food. I send thanks to the person who planted the trees I inherited.

We have several apple trees and a plum tree in our yard. I’m happy to say that they are healthy and produce generous amounts of fruit. I process and store a lot and give away the rest. I bake a pie every week: my husband always says he’s a lucky man. We harvest figs and hazelnuts as well.

My problem is I can’t stop myself from adding more. Two years ago I planted a peach tree and an olive tree. This year I put in five blueberry bushes, which should produce berries next year.

It’s going to be a busy fall.

Riding.

The third thing I’ve rediscovered is how much I love riding my bike. I haven’t ridden much since last summer even going for a bike ride is always on my list. There always seems to be something else that takes priority over riding. Resistance to exercising was a factor as well. After all, if I was going to the gym, I didn’t really need to ride as well. Or heaven forbid, ride to the gym.

After spending so much time at home, I find myself welcoming getting off the property. If the outing involves a bike ride, so much the better. I’ve noticed I don’t feel the same resistance as I used to before the pandemic. I actually feel excited about going now. There’s not as much traffic on the roads and that makes it feel so much safer to ride.

It’s also a fantastic low impact exercise, which is kind to my knees.

It was interesting to reflect on these simple things that I’ve rediscovered and I appreciate the writing challenge. Thanks.

What Three Things Have You Rediscovered During the Lockdown?

 

If you are a writer and want to join Medium, use this link to join me there.