Some songs stick with me forever. One of my favorites is Nina Simone singing, "Everything Must Change." I return to this song time after time when life gets hard and now is no exception. Her seeming acceptance that "nothing stays the same, everyone will change," alongside the reminder that there are parts of life "one can be sure of," many of which come from the natural world (rain, sun, seasons changing) is immensely comforting.
And life has certainly changed recently. I just sent Rick off to the grocery store for the "elder hour" (6-7am). What used to be a simple act of going to get groceries is now fraught with anxiety, worried about getting infected, despite hopefully adequate protections. When groceries come home, how much care do you really need to take to not spread any potential germs? I remember a quote from Dr. Fauci a few weeks ago in the NYT, something to the effect that you can't do too much. So now, the girl who almost never washes a vegetable, is even giving her avocados and cuties a scrub!
Little changes too, like caring for my teeth. My annual dentist appointment cancelled so I dug out our water pick and am tripling up on oral hygiene. Who knows when I'll get in to see the dentist and now would be a really bad time to have a dentist emergency, or any emergency for that matter.
But change has always been a part of life, so why does this feel so different? Uncertainty has always been a part of life, so why does this feel so different? Is it because in "normal" times, we pretend that things will stay the same, that life is certain, that we can count on our days to proceed ahead as they have in the past? As they say in the stock market, "past performance is no guarantee of future results."
And so I start each day out in the woods to witness first hand the regularity of nature. The maples are budding, getting ready to splash the world with their spring brilliance. The robins have taken to the earth in hopes of a big juicy earthworm. And of course, the "weeds" are starting to grow. You can always count on dandelions!
My New Colleagues
Luka - keeping a careful watch
Scallion - chillin' like usual
Nina Simone singing "Everything Must Change"
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