Musings - A short story

Musings - A short story

So much of our lives is dedicated to the pursuit of gain, whether that is financial, via our careers, or personal in the field of sports or otherwise. The days of enhancing my sporting prowess are long, long gone. However, today has been a day of achievement nonetheless. For today, after weeks of government imposed lockdown, supplemented by self-enforced isolation, I decided it was time to throw caution to the wind and take a step out into the great outdoors. You see, I have been racked by fear in recent weeks. I still am. The invisible enemy that has been stalking us these past months, I refuse to mention it’s name, has had me in a state of panic. The driveway and garden are as far as I have dared venture. Even then I have been nervous about being caught out by the potential consequences of encountering an airborne virus. After all, it’s hard to keep two metres away from bumble-bees and butterflies!

So what was today’s, “achievement?” Well it was nothing more than the simplest of things, something that most of us have been lucky enough to take for granted i.e. stepping outside for a walk in the fresh air. Today’s excursion however had special meaning. In a world, where I for one, have lost touch or taken for granted the simplest of pleasures, today has made me feel deeply satisfied. I feel connected again with those thoughts, feelings and memories of childhood years when the world seemed such a different place, a slower, more relaxed, friendly, less polluted and happier place. 

The setting for my reawakening was a two mile walk along the country lanes and beautiful lush fields that I am lucky enough to live nearby. My first port of call was a stile that acted as a viewing point on to a field of sheep. All were busy soaking up the sunshine and feasting on a banquet of turnips that had been scattered generously across the field by their charge. There is something very calming about staring at a sheep munching on his dinner whilst at the same time him looking at you quizzically. I find the innocence beguiling. After 10 mins of said flock looking at me and thinking to themselves “what on earth is this guy doing?” I decided to continue on. 

Crossing another stile, into a new field, I found myself on the brow of a hill. The peace and solitude brought me to a standstill. It caused me to do a slow 360 degrees to fully take in the beauty of my surroundings. I was ushering myself to sit down and relax for a moment. I can’t remember the last time I sat down in the middle of a field by myself, or with anyone else for that matter. A busy beach yes, on a park bench, yes, at a swimming pool, yes, but by myself in the centre of a field? There are probably not many middle-aged men that do! But what a relaxing and cathartic experience it was. The thoughts of yesteryear came rushing back, how as a young boy I would go on picnics with my cousins, mother, aunties and godmother to the local countryside and play in the fields, paddle in the stream etc. This was long before the summer holidays meant filing through overcrowded airports to get to purpose built holiday resorts in the Mediterranean.

Fond reminiscing complete, and after taking several photographs of a field full of dandelions, from field mouse height, time to get get back on ones feet and head home. Once back at my own burrow, the sense of peace and calmness unexpectedly continued. Perhaps with a new found sense of tranquility I was drinking in not just tea but the delights of the garden. The slightest of winds was the cause of me finding myself at the centre of an apple blossom storm. 

The desire to acquire more, in what has become an increasingly materialistic world, can be rewarding but also tiresome. When measured against the achievement of happiness and satisfaction it is arguably a game of diminishing returns. The last few weeks and particularly on days like today when the sky is blue and the sunshine is beating down makes me feel very blessed and contented. It is the beauty of nature that has given special meaning to today, nothing else.

This is clearly an incredibly difficult time for everyone, some more than others. Hopefully, our health and other key workers will take up a new, more appreciated and permanent place in our hearts and societies consciousness. I for one will try and cherish these times because life will return to normal and the hustle and bustle of the modern world will overtake us again. We will get caught up in its frenzy, hear the traffic on our roads, see the planes in our skies and pursue financial gain and material enhancement once more. Personally, if I make a conscious effort for improved mental and physical well-being then maybe that will have been a worthy endeavour.