Spring, Summer, Fall – Time passes by
The concept of time is a funny thing. I have been thinking about time a lot in the past few days, especially as the leaves turn from green to shades of orange…as the warm summer days turn chilly and crisp…as my summer clothes, now at the bottom of my dresser, are replaced with cozy sweaters and fuzzy slippers.
It has been a long seven months for most people around the world, as people are being forced to change social behaviors, cancel travel plans, and maybe some have even experienced sadness and grief. I watch the events unfold around the world on my laptop or iPad, from the safety of my apartment and remind myself constantly that I am lucky, healthy, and alive. During these past several months, I have helplessly watched friends be admitted to the hospital, in need of specialized care and medicine. I have listened to worried friends talk about parents who are sick and the difficult road of recovery. I have sent condolences, as people I know have experienced the ‘worst case scenario’, having to say goodbye to a parent. Indeed, the last several months have been challenging for so many people and so many different reasons.
Personally, I have remained in my city, choosing to fill my time with new hobbies, work, and let’s be honest, binging on Netflix from time to time. I think every person is learning to deal with our current circumstance differently. Some people have made few changes to their daily routine and habits, continuing to travel, continuing to socialize, and continuing on as nothing is different. Others have chosen to isolate, cutting off most, if not all, human contact. I like to think I am somewhere in the middle of these two behaviors. It is true, I have not traveled more than a 3 kilometer radius since the end of February, and anyone who knows me well knows this has been the biggest challenge for me by far. This summer has been the first summer of my adult life in which I have not explored or experienced the wonders of new places. My days now consist of long walks, exploring nooks and alleys around my town. Sometimes, I will stop for a drink on my way home from school and enjoy the sunshine as I work on perfecting my people watching skills. Also, I have returned to in-person teaching with reduced class sizes, masks, and buckets of sanitizer. I look forward to the days of hopping on a train and finding a new place to explore. For now, Leon continues to be my safe place.
Time, seven months and counting, three seasons, this is what I am thinking about today. I have been living soley in this town for three seasons and soon it will be four. The fall days are getting shorter, the nights colder, and the days chilly. Soon, the leaves will fall and the trees will become bare. If I’m lucky, I will watch the snowflakes fall while looking out my windows, hot beverage in hand. I continue to learn new coping strategies to get me through this time, reminding myself to appreciate and remember the past, embrace the here and now, and dream about plans for my future…thankfully I have a lot of time to master all three.
