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Simply..vaguely guilty....

23/4/2020

10 Comments

 

Close on the heels of the sadness I feel at the current situation is a vague feeling of guilt.

Especially if I find myself enjoying something! Lying in the hammock, reading philosophy at breakfast, sowing sweet pea seeds. A friend was enjoying the sight of the bluebells near her home until she remembered all those stuck indoors without access to such sights.

It's not logical. (Guilt implies culpability.) Did I start this pandemic? No. Am I doing what my government tells me to do? Yes. Basically they are telling me to keep out of the way, and therein lies the problem. I am left feeling useless and redundant, and guilty at doing nothing.

Lotta wisely decided to swap 'g's guilt for gratitude and I do indeed feel grateful for my very privileged position, and I want not just to feel gratitude but to show it in some way that might help those bearing the brunt of this horrible pandemic.

Ideas please!  Talking with friends who are alone, donating to charities whose work is needed more than ever but  who have lost sources of income like charity shops are two things I can do, but there must be more....

Picture
Picture

The beech leaves I picked nearly a week ago have gradually opened their fresh green leaves....
10 Comments
Elizabeth
24/4/2020 12:40:28 am

Dear Freda, a lot of us will feel even more gratitude than ever at this time of lockdown for your blog which communicates with us in our various locations and helps us see such a lot of beauty and sets us thinking and connecting. Thank you. Your photographs and words of wisdom help!

Reply
Freda
24/4/2020 02:13:05 pm

Your kind words help me Elizabeth! Thank you.

Reply
Lotta
24/4/2020 01:26:16 am

A few ideas...

If you have air miles they can sometimes be converted into donations for food banks. (United Airlines does this, I expect others do too.)

Support local small businesses. A lot of artists and makers are having a very hard time right now. (If I was still entirely reliant on income from my glasswork I would be one of them.) So if people are buying birthday gifts or even doing some very early Christmas shopping it would be great to buy from local makers. Most sell online or would be happy to take phone orders and post. Or if you break a mug or a bowl, get a replacement from a potter instead of the supermarket! It will help them and it will probably last longer because you’ll love it more. :-)

Buy local food where possible. Local producers are getting very creative with ways to supply their community in a zero contact way.

Also, what skills do we have that we could offer safely for free? A neighbour who is a counsellor has offered to be a listening ear for anyone nearby who is struggling. People are offering free classes or retreats via Skype or Zoom... so many possibilities!

It’s so easy to get pulled into a big world picture, but doing what we can locally contributes to the whole.

Reply
Freda
24/4/2020 02:13:58 pm

Full of good ideas as ever Lotta!

Reply
julia
24/4/2020 03:26:49 am

Freda, Lotta has wonderful ideas. It’s important to feel that one is making a positive difference in their world. But is it also possible to allow ourself to simply be? Do we have to justify to anyone a leisurely hour in a hammock, or the pleasure of bluebells? I think a lot of us were raised to be highly productive. Lying around was a sin! I’ve even heard the question way back in my youth from some person of influence: how does he justify his existence? Our forefathers had to work so hard simply to get by! And i think these “rules” get passed down...i know i find it very challenging to simply just sit and be in the moment..even though i have been a yogi for 34 years!

Reply
Freda
24/4/2020 02:15:49 pm

I do feel I have to earn the right to lie in the hammock, or spend time doing nothing! That early conditioning....

Reply
julia
24/4/2020 02:18:16 pm

sigh................

Gail
24/4/2020 03:37:31 am

We have a free library in my neighborhood - basically a box that ppl pick up/drop off books. I put in canned ppl food and pet food instead of books. Someone can anonymously get needed food
Nice weather the other day. Several neighbors and I did much-needed weeding in our neighborhood entrance
Lastly, I’m calling all the sit-ins I know. They were stuck at home long before the virus quarantine. Stuck at hone is their normal
Still, the “guilt” lingers

Reply
Gail
24/4/2020 03:42:14 am

I meant shut -ins not sit-ins

Reply
Katherine
24/4/2020 04:00:55 pm

I've quietly followed your blog for a few years now and love how honest, open, fun and strong you are. I get alot out of your blog. Thank you. Re emotions at this time,yesterday I came across, quite by acciden,t a piece written by David Ison, the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral on Trauma and Tragedy and our emotions. I found it so uplifting and reassuring. I hope you do to. Sorry I can't manage a link, but if you Google you can read it too. Take care of yourself.

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