A moment...

The other day, I joked with a friend that instead of the formal greeting when you speak to someone being “How are you?” it will change to “Are you in or out of lockdown or isolation?”.

As a Victorian, I have empathy with my friends and colleagues in greater Sydney; the ‘land of lockdown’ has impacts that reach into your heart, mind, and body. Be gentle and take one day at a time.

As a family, we were in NSW when Sydney locked down, and it meant that many NSW families could not have their holiday. For example, one family who would be staying in the same lodge as us had driven five hours to get there, and when they arrived, they had to turn around and go back home; the restrictions had changed while they were in the car!

I write this while firmly adhering to the phrase, ‘same storm, a different boat’, we all lose during Covid.

We were one of the lucky families; we had our holiday, and it was great.

While the skiers did their thing (what I call ‘being cold on a very slow chair and then going fast down a hill and repeating the same malarkey ALL day!!!’) I was taking myself off on daily walks, hikes, and a little snowshoeing.

One afternoon, while strolling along feeling very content, I looked to my right into the bush and saw a massive stag staring at me. It was a magnificent beast with antlers as long as my arms. I stopped dead in my tracks and took a huge inhale of breath. It was about twenty metres away from me, and I was awe-struck. I slowly exhaled. And then we just stood there staring at each other; me and the stag.

And then, about twenty metres away from the stag, I saw a tiny wren going about its daily chores, a hive of activity trying to find food in the trunk of a big snow gum.

I looked from the tiny wren to the magnificent stag; the three of us formed a triangle.

I was very conscious of my breathing, slow inhales and long, slow exhales. And at that moment, I had a profound sense of how connected it all is – life. A feeling of deep reverence and gratitude washed over me. How lucky was I to be here in this very moment to see and feel the cycle of nature; three animals of very different species deeply connected in this present moment?

Our triangle lasted a good five minutes before the stag moved away and broke the triangle.

I thanked it for hanging out with me for a moment.

The wren was still hunting for food.

I moved away and broke the third arm of the triangle.

And the moment was gone. A moment I will never forget, it was a highlight of my holiday.

Nothing feels better than a moment of reverence.

Nothing feels better than a moment of presence.

Wishing you moments of both this weekend.

Kemi xxx