Keeping the positivity going.

I am a positive person by nature. That doesn't mean my state of mind doesn't get challenged.

In a time of the uncertainty facing the world today in the form of Covid19 I, like many people I suspect, long for a bit of recognisability, stability and continuity in this strange world we live in. There are so many changes going on. New rules. In the short term too. Waking up and seeing or reading or hearing that everything has suddenly changed does nothing to create confidence or peace of mind.

But we (hubby and I) have little to complain about. Although like many, we too have our frustration moments. We are dry, warm, have enough (too much 😉) food, clothing, regular income, a beautiful house, a beautiful view and our families are also healthy and well. If all those things are ok one has a tendency to look further, right? Call it human nature. We can move within our country: BUT we have nowhere to go. Attractions, cafes, restaurants, theaters - nothing available. Not here in the Netherlands anyway. The comforting part is, we're all in the same boat. So..

... I prefer to look at what is possible.  My husband has been shopping for groceries since March 2020. The reason being that I was sick the first week of March. Out of commission for quite a while. Because the world around us changed so drastically at the time, he kept doing the shopping. He, because sitting inside became too much for him, she, "because I didn't dare to go 'out' there."

We went to a Landal house holiday park twice this winter. Oh how wonderful. Houses far apart, you don't meet anyone in the supermarket on site and you walk a different route in a different area. (See video links at the below.)

Hubby has polished and updated his cooking skills again. How cool is that? Sometimes I just have to book my cooking moments. We enjoy the sharing and because he does the shopping anyway, hubby often determines the menu. Fine. I love to cook, but I don't need any pre-planning except for 'real planned' dinners. I mainly cook "whatever the cupboard and fridge have to offer".

Shoes: Since recently we can make shopping by appointment moments: by booking a time slot. With my forst outing I thought it was very exciting.  I was nervous. Yes, I went shopping for shoes. My shoes, after all that forced walking, really needed replacing. I was done in 20 minutes. Two pairs. With memory soles. At least then I know where I've been or where I want to go to. 😂😂😂!

Garden center: This year we will be picking lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries. I really missed out last season when the garden centers opened and everyone went crazy and wanted to convert their gardens, planting vegetable gardens, etc. realising home was the place to be, holiday money had to be spent, it went to upgrading things around home. Because of my reserved attitude at the time, we were too late to purchase the seasonal plants I wanted on my balcony. Everything was sold out. Very unfortunate. Now, in a 30-minute time block, I purchased what I desired. It was so neatly arranged. You could fire a cannon at the garden centre and not hit a soul. My neighbour mentioned it so I had looked at the site that morning and 18 slots were still available at a time that suited me. Bingo!

Rug: Off to the Volero showroom. A fun, well thrilling ride, in hail and snow. You don't buy something like that online. Well I don't anyway. What a fun outing. We also got served coffee. Just like "in the old days". And we made it an outing. Round trip. Not the same route home. That's how we got through the day. It was fun.

Shopping is NOT my favorite activity. Still, it's inevitable. No, I didn't book them close together. Not sensible I thought. The past 3 weeks I booked one a week. That also gives peace of mind. If I would have been infected with the virus, I would have noticed it after 5-7 days. I'm careful about that. If I felt at all uncertain I would have cancelled the time slot. I didn't need to.

So yes, there are possibilities. It is not the freedom that I am used to, but also not the oppression that forces me to house arrest and prosecution. I am free and safe. That everything is not as I would classify as normal is another story. I/we need to focus on the positive aspects of this period and breath in, breath out, breath in breath out and hang in there. It, the pandemic, won't last forever. Changes will happen. Life does go on. Just differently and maybe we might become more reflective, less impatient and more compassionate. 

Who knows!