Gospel from The Saints

By Julia Collins, who lives in Saint Nicholas

Living in covid dominated times, our freedom has been curbed in so many ways. Not only have important aspects of social interaction been severely trimmed, but even what we are actually able to do for ourselves has been affected.

I wonder if this feeds into our shopping habits. How many of you have cupboards that are not only chubby with your usual staples, but also stoutly packed with items which seem to represent ammunition against difficulty? Sardines, dried pasta, long life milk and frozen vegetables; foodstuffs less evident perhaps in more ‘normal’ times, but that now reside as valued occupants, serried in regular, neat rows. For me, being able to organise a well stocked store cupboard was surprisingly reassuring as evidence that I could still look after myself. I now possess packets and tins, hitherto strangers to my kitchen, that sooth my basic instincts each time I open the larder door. Likewise, the way in which we have given the house and garden greater attention is a creative and absorbing way of nurturing ourselves, enhancing our home to bring pleasure and comfort. With time to regard our surroundings and possessions through ‘fresh eyes’, we can appreciate and recognise possibilities which may have previously gone unnoticed. It seems fundamental to always be able to take action – to have choice and control over as many aspects of our lives as possible. Like a snorkel connecting us to ‘the real world’, we can still inhale at will…choose for ourselves. This feels strengthening and liberating within the slightly suffocating restrictions we have been obliged to learn to accept. Actually having the time to prepare meals in a more leisurely and imaginative fashion, with perhaps an occasional opportunity to experiment with new recipes, opens out the experience. Finding choice within the limitations has reduced the sense of confinement, expanding our personalities and intellects, confirming, in a different way, that we can still flex at will.

We can carry forward this awareness and subtlety as we emerge, metaphorically rubbing our eyes, to reclaim our lives and the myriad pleasures we have missed. ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’, ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’, ’count your blessings’, ‘appreciate the small things’ – like so much bunting, we could string up these words above the doors and gates we will soon be skipping through on our way back to greater normality.