Sitting here composing this email reminded me of all the
real "adventures" I've had over the years -- the countless 3am alarms
and the constant long drives logging well over 800 miles per day...
Today's
event is a MUCH milder version, and I hesitate to even call it an
"adventure." However, during the great pandemic of 2020, this can
still be considered as a drastic act.
For
the first time in 134 days, I drove 92 miles (round trip total) to
Wilmington, IL to pick out fresh blueberries. If this happened two
years ago, I might have simply forgotten to tell you about it, as so
much was going on back then. But not now, this small, insignificant
event signifies my baby steps to venture out of my "pandemic bunker."
The
entire experience was serene, surreal, and sweet. We were dropped off
at the blueberry field by an old-fashioned tractor, and were left with
many, many blueberries and all the freedom we can possibly get. After
134 days of social distancing, seeing so many kids running around was
simply disorienting.
For
the first time in a long while, I felt there was no point to rush
anything... I let myself wandering around, under the morning sun, with
the birds and kids laughing in the background... I made sure to take
the time to only pick the jumbo blueberries; I intentionally tried to go
back to the same row of branches to find the "lucky ones" that I'd missed in
the first round; I carefully examined how different size, shape and
color blueberries were co-existing together; and I could feel the tremendous
calmness going through my body -- I see nothing but these peaceful cute little
blueberries!
All in
all, I think the pandemic has shrunk my world significantly. However,
it also gives me the opportunity to slow down, to experience each small
"adventure" in a deeper way, to recognize and respect nature with new
perspectives.
Do these beautiful blueberries know how different the world has become???
Blueberry Fields
Wilmington, IL
July 25, 2020
