CLEAR SKIES AND SUNNY DAYS
Honest2Goodness
As mentioned in my previous blog ‘Just Cry’. I was going to title this piece ‘Bright Skies and Sunny Days’. Something didn’t feel right about it, so I changed it to the above :)
How can we make the most of spending time at home?
So apart from working your way through your list of ‘To do’ jobs. There are other ways we could be making the most of being at home.
The past couple of days after waking, before I took a quick glance at an online paper and before I’d even stepped foot out of bed! I’ve taken a moment to listen to the sounds, making a note of what I can hear.
If like me you’ve never really appreciated the sound of pigeons cooing outside your window and it drives you insane, now is the time to start to APPRECIATE those irritating sounds; those coos signify ‘life’.
Why not take a moment to OBSERVE YOUR surroundings. Listen, what do you hear?
Before the frog snot struck, most of us would be so wrapped up in our everyday lives, which nine out of ten times are ‘busy’. One of my most used lines is “What! I’m busy!”. We are so tied up in things that we forget to take note of what we appreciate, and what we are grateful for. Now is the time to make a change, for the better. This will not only open up our mind, but it also encourages us to take time out of our busy lives. We can inspire those around us to participate. Do it together as a family. If you live alone, you again have the use of a phone and other means of communication; use it, you can just as easily share your observations with others this way.
Today I took my kids on a school trip…to the garden. We laid on the grass and looked up to the sky. We took a moment away from the panicked world. I asked them to make a note of the following; What do you NOTICE? What sounds do you HEAR? How do you FEEL? We laid a while and OBSERVED our surroundings.
We started by using our sense of sight. I asked, What do you SEE? We turned our heads slightly to the right, and then to the left. We giggled when we turned towards the house as the view wasn’t much but, we noticed two birds shoot by, and then a flying ladybird passed above us.
I then asked them to close their eyes and lay still, but warned them not to fall asleep just yet! I asked, What can you HEAR? There was a chuckle because a neighbour started banging on something, but we listened beyond that and discovered other sounds.
With their eyes still shut, I asked them to take note of what they felt. How do you FEEL? What emotions do you sense? Can you feel the warmth of the sun? Can you imagine being laid on holiday somewhere?
While their observations were still fresh in their minds, we went back indoors to put on paper what they had learnt. We sat, and they used words and images to show what they’d noticed and experienced.
For those that are possibly restricted and don’t have a garden where they can lay or take a seat in, you could always do the same exercise in the comfort of your home by seating yourselves in your window, the one with the best view. Open the windows; please take care not to lean out and put yourself in danger. Listen to the sounds coming in through the window. Feel the fresh air as it blows in, smell it if you so wish, but take note of what you notice and how it makes you feel. Share with others your findings :)
And remember you are not necessarily confined to your home, you are allowed to go out for a walk, bike ride, run or whatever you fancy doing. But remember the guidelines regarding social distancing. Be safe and sensible.
It would also be fun to reverse the roles. Let the kids set a task for the outdoors, they can be the teacher, and we can be the student. You might be surprised by what you learn from them.
Right now we should be appreciative that the weather is dry and the sun is shining, as we all well know the UK tends to see more grey and wet days than sunny!
The sun is a great ‘pick-me-up’ it naturally gives us the feel-good factor. But, if the sun gets really hot, we must take care, not to overexpose ourselves. Afterall when given the all-clear to function as normal we don’t want to have a get together with our friends and family looking like Mr Krabs from Spongebob, do we!
Remember you can carry out the above over the phone, FaceTime, Skype and any other means. Reach out to someone who might be feeling lonely. Grandparents would love to hear from you and get to put in to practice your exercise.
Remember to stay safe, healthy and sensible xx
I’ll be back soon with my next blog; Learning to share the home.