Senses working overtime (even if I’m not). Seeing.
Yesterday I wrote a post about the sense of hearing, how it opened me up and calmed me down. How concentrating wholly on one of the five senses during this pile-of-poopy time can help us connect with our inner peace.
So, on to the wonderful world of seeing. If you’ve been gifted the sense of sight, and your situation is anything like mine, now you have time to see things more deeply and clearly (as well as binge on Netflix and social media).
Come into the garden
We’re very lucky, as we have a garden. Very compact and squeezed on three sides by neighbours, but it’s south-facing and it means we can escape the indoors without having to don face masks.
Sitting incredibly still, tucked into a corner, I entered a scene from Disney’s Snow White. First, our friendly neighbourhood squirrel paid the garden a visit.
Nut grasped firmly in his goofy chops, he (‘he’ may be a ‘she’, but we’ve christened him ‘Cyril’, so he is a him-boy squirrel), snuffled around on the lawn looking for a spot to bury his stash. About a minute into his search, he copped sight of me quietly watching on.
He sat bolt upright on his fluffy haunches, just four or five feet away, and stared straight at me for a good 10 seconds. Twitching his nose and flicking his tail, he hopped and skipped away.
The wonderful thing was, I was so captivated by this spectacle, that my copywriter’s thinking muscles slackened off and the images just fell on the silver screen of my mind without any internal commentary. I wasn’t aware of anything else. It was just me and Cyril, exchanging glances, lost in our little bromance.
It was only then I started to really appreciate the beauty of our humble little garden patch. The straggly borders with self-planted poppies and tousled ivy, fighting for space with various bought, and inherited shrubs.
The sun shone, I had tea, there were no deadlines looming. All I had to do was relax and enjoy the show.
Next up was my favourite garden bird, the bluetit. Delicate, cheeky and playful, there’s something about these little twitter-balls that makes me smile.
Anyway, a gorgeous bluetit skittered into frame and proceeded to explore the overhanging eave of our tiny garden shed. She (in the interest of diversity, lets call her Beryl) flitted and fluttered in aerobatic twists and loops, negotiating the underside of the shaded overhang. I can only assume she was looking for spiders or other wiggly treats.
Her performance went on for a couple of mesmerising minutes and again, my mind just hit pause.
Wherever we are, the beauty hidden in the details is right there. All we need to do is tune in.
The juxtaposition of soft, organic textures against brickwork; the flying sharks buried in fluffy clouds; freckles, pebbles, bobble hats, fruit bowls, supermarket shelves… there are shifting shapes and clattering colours everywhere. Just waiting to be framed and appreciated.
While this lurid sequence of sci-fi-like events continues to unfold, it helps if we can occasionally stop and give thanks for every miniscule mercy. Take the time to drop down a gear and enjoy the visual feast of miniature miracles that parade themselves in front of us every day.
And again, as with yesterday’s post, to those who don’t have the space or time to stop the clock; to everyone who’s helping to keep us safe, fed and watered. Thank you.
Love and patience
Jonathan xx
Jonathan Wilcock (that’s me) is a Senior Freelance Copywriter.
You can drop me a line here, or email jonathan@sowhatif.co.uk