This was the first full moon after the initial pandemic lockdown in the spring of 2020. In those days Toffee was very eager to get going in the morning. We would get up very early and go for a walk before other people were out. At the time there was very little knowledge of how Covid was spread, and I wasn’t taking any chances, so we would walk when others were still in bed. If we came across anyone on the sidewalk we would cross the street.
My days were filled with online teaching and rehearsals, as well as practicing and of course endless searching for ways to improve on the online work. Webinars, meetings, training sessions, and learning to sew masks. On our early morning walks, often ending at sunrise, I started to notice my surroundings more. The moon seemed to shine brighter and the flowers were bigger and more vibrant than I had ever remembered.
I started to dread the evenings and nights because for many months my neighbours engaged in their own rehearsals of drumming and chanting. Usually they started up in the early evening and sometimes continued until 4 or 4:30 a.m. There was no way to escape the noise, and it wasn’t the soothing kind of music that could potentially put someone to sleep.
The lockdown was sudden and unexpected and a very new experience for most people. Priorities shifted. Once again my life is at a turning point. Most of my work commitments are coming to an end as I ease into retirement. The losses of the past year have caused another shift in my priorities. Though I am excited about having more time to take care of myself there is an element of fear of the unknown. Will I have the discipline to avoid becoming lazy and unproductive? Will I be able to avoid boredom?
This morning I am up way too early. The birds are only now starting to wake. The sky is still dark. The time stamp on that photo from April 2020 is exactly the time it is right now, but there is no moon visible this morning.
Reflections 