Another week in Isolation!

Hello dear friends, 

This “Isolation” newsletter is starting off a little bit differently this time.   My lovely friend in New Zealand (who has a great grasp of the English language, and keeps me up to scratch), wrote to me at the weekend, in response to my most recent newsletter mentioning Regency politeness and behaviour, as well as her views on “Isolation”.     I quote her letter below, verbatim:

From L of New Zealand: 

“First of all, I  LOVE this idea… (of Regency greetings, bowing and curtseying …)

Then, this is how I see Lockdown:

My son overworks constantly and I warned him he was heading for burnout.  Now, working from home, he still does long hours but he can rest more because he doesn't have a 90 minute commuter rush-hour at either end of the day. 

Why did it take a virus to make him see just how exhausted he was?  His story mirrors  that of many people: the mad rush, the treadmill, the rat race, call it what you will,  modern life and the necessity to keep a roof over your families heads and food in their tummies is a hard  taskmaster.

  

So devastating though this virus has been, for all the lives it has taken, let's hope it has made people realise life is precious and that being so, maybe it's saved a few who might have been pushed beyond their human capacity by stress and the inability to just STOP and look at our still wonderful world...and 

just breathe……

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.”

………..

I would also encourage readers to visit this exquisite short video, made in New Zealand, on Youtube.  The words are so beautiful and make us realise just what beauty we live with and that we are a part of.   Please visit.  …. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKyekQ1njNQ&fbclid=IwAR33SOK4wws9qB-MvkWrVbo8n6-WFsXmS2XFcWhM3MOuvJHWDaP2fXh3Vms

……

Another clever quotation from my friend Judy of WA:

Please -  just be careful because people are going crazy from being in lock down! Actually I've just been talking about this with the microwave and toaster while drinking coffee and all of us agreed that things are getting bad. I didn't mention anything to the washing machine as she puts a different spin on everything and certainly not to the fridge as he is acting cold and distant.  In the end the iron calmed me down as she said everything will be fine - no situation is too pressing....

From Ruth of Victoria: 

“Thank you for your lovely newsletter.  Keep it up, it does not just help you, it helps many people.

As you mentioned the homeless, here is something you might like to have a look at.  I received the attached newsletter from a friend who runs a charity for the homeless.  https://bit.ly/avalonian-gazette-april-2020 

She deserves a mention, and, maybe, some donations from people to help the homeless.

Personally I have been attacking my weeds, making myself very unpopular with them. Hasn’t stopped me from continuing. There are a lot more to get at.

I am lucky enough to be allowed out for shopping and exercise. The last is not just walking, but a lot of talking. Keeps the face muscles strong, and you can keep your distance.

Looking for the positive things in our lives helps too..  Making someone laugh is good for the soul, ours and theirs”

…… 

From my very dear friend Valerie Parv:

“Thank you for thinking of me on my birthday and sending good wishes …  I was given some lovely gifts from organic hand wash liquid (very timely) to books and DVDs. Plus some gift cards which I can plan how to spend until we're free to go out and do so. Sometimes planning is half the enjoyment.

I haven't had to declutter or organise my office, having done so over the last year.  I even joined in the national Garage Sale Trail last October which was a major decluttering exercise. In my small community, garage sale shopping is a "thing" where a group goes from one garage sale to another, ending up having coffee at McDonald's. Personally I don't dare to visit other people's garage sales for fear of finding something I simply must have. Books are the worst of course but fortunately I read most fiction on my Kindle. I only buy nonfiction in paper as I find them easier for reference.

Thank you for quoting in your newsletter my favourite psalm, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help." When I lived in Canberra there were always hills you could see even from the bus stop or the shopping mall, and this verse was in the back of my mind while shopping or waiting for a bus. It's one of the pleasures I miss from Canberra, but we have glorious rural vistas, as I was reminded when Better Homes and Gardens visited recently and showcased some of the attractions. A tourist magazine mentioned that I live here, quite unexpectedly. I've had many accolades in my career but this is my first time as a tourist attraction.

When the lockdown started six weeks ago (six weeks!) I had so many writing plans, but sad to say I've written none of them. I'll include a link to the blog I posted yesterday, exploring the reasons, as I've found many creative friends in the same situation. I have kept busy, however, blogging and taking part in online writing activitities including a week-long WordFest in aid of rescue greyhounds. I also continue to mentor the current holder of the Valerie Parv Award organised by Romance Writers of Australia. Next year's award has just closed and I'll find out mid year who will be my new mentee, or minion, as past winners call themselves. Here's my blog link.

https://valerieparv.wordpress.com/2020/05/03/first-monday-mentoring-may-2020-what-you-can-write-during-the-crisis-and-a-challenge/?fbclid=IwAR1cLEb0-bI3flRqakMkHMyEyDHaygRsVAB9vxzX-PQksWdMK1cPva3mgkM

It does talk mainly to writers but can also apply to any creative goal we may have.  (Note from the NoteBook©:  The hints and strategies Valerie has put forward so easily fit into what we who are not “writers” can do, to take away the stress of “Isolation” …… Rosemary) 

Thank you again for another thought-provoking newsletter. Your consideration for the homeless is commendable. I saw on a news program recently an interview with a homeless man for whom a long term place had been found with others staying in a motel, and he said he had become so used to having a proper place to live and bed to sleep in that he didn't know how he would cope going back to the streets. I only pray he doesn't have to.”

Recently Valerie talked writing with Sarah Williams 

on her Write With Love Podcast

https://tinyurl.com/yamlhdc8

Look for Valerie's 'Desert Justice' in 'Her Hot Desert Fantasy' anthology on Amazon.com and Big W.

Outback Code, 3 books in one from Mira out now in stores, print and ebooks 

From my dear pastors, G and M (from the Village here.  We can not, at the moment, attend Chapel each week, but these two wonderful girls ensure we are not “grounded” without any contact from them.) 

“So here we are another week stuck inside, feeling a little bit frustrated, bored, maybe even alone.  So what can we do in order to help ourselves survive this unusual time we are living in.

What can we do with this time of solitude.  Is there something we can learn from all this time we have on our hands at the moment, from the Scriptures?

Solitude is a state of being alone without being lonely and can lead to self-      awareness

Solitude is a time that can be used for reflection, inner searching, growth or enjoyment of some kind.

Solitude suggests peacefulness stemming from a state of inner richness,  It is a means of enjoying the quiet, and whatever it brings that is satisfying, and from which we draw sustenance.  It is something we cultivate

Solitude is refreshing’ an opportunity to renew ourselves.  In other words, it replenishes us

Solitude gives us time to explore and know ourselves.  It is the necessary counterpoint to intimacy, it is what allows us to have a self worthy of sharing.  Solitude gives us a chance to regain perspective

Solitude restores body and mine and Spirit.  A time to withdraw from the hustle and bustle of lives around us.” 

MAY I CLOSE THIS NEWSLETTER, WITH A MESSAGE FROM MY FRIEND BILL CREWS, OF THE EXODUS FOUNDATION IN SYDNEY:

Hi everyone

The homeless people we work with and love usually have three chronic illnesses.  For them Coronavirus probably means death.  

We do everything we can to protect them. That includes free flu shots and virus testing for everyone. 

Here is the link to the 7-minute video showing how we do it.  https://youtu.be/utNoA7i8vJk

God Bless,   Bill

Fondest regards

Rosemary  🌹 🌹 🌹 STAY SAFE, TAKE CARE EVERYONE.

Lockdown and Emotions

Hello dear friends,  

This is a “strange” time we’re in.  Being in Isolation I find daylight hours seem slow and tedious, whereas as the afternoon unfolds, I find my day is rushing by. When I speak to some of my neighbours by phone or Messenger , they say the same thing!  Just what is going on, I ask?

This morning I opened the curtains to find the sky grey with heavy clouds.   Two hours later the sky is blue, and the sun is shining.   For those readers overseas, we’re in the second month of Autumn (my friends in the USA call it “Fall”).  While the weather here is cooling considerably, one thing I am missing is being able to walk around nearby streets and to see the ever-changing gardens.  I miss seeing the leaves of the deciduous trees turning into their beautiful colours. 

The Lockdown and Emotions

A number of my friends are telling me they’ve been going through all sorts of emotional ups and downs.  The worry associated with “not knowing” (what this virus is, where it came from, how long we will need to fight it, will it “die” of its own accord, or hide away?), together with not being able to see our families or to join in small groups with our girl-friends, yet trying to cope with the feelings of having no control on almost any part of our daily life, is taking its toll.  

Yet, as another friend from New Zealand wrote in her blog today, “This crisis WILL pass.  We WILL be back to normal, whatever our normal was or will be.   Life may be on hold for many but it still has the potential to be full of dreams and plans.”   She then included a most beautiful Youtube video of her land which has incredible uplifting words.   Visit her blog at:  thelockdowndiary.blogspot.com

Asking for Help

This is a time when our friends - whether close-by or further afield, need us, as we need them.   Too often we hold back and not ask for help, whether it be physical or merely just to “listen” to us when we feel out-of-sorts or “down in the dumps”.   We hold back because we don’t want to worry them, or take up their time.  Yet, I‘ve often found that when I do let my “pride” down a notch or two and actually ask a friend to “listen”, then they are ready, willing and able to put their life on hold, just to hold my hand (figuratively) and walk me through my times of anxiety or stress.    I like to think that I respond in like manner when they call on me. 

This is where, even though the “social-distancing” and “isolation” is restricting us in so many ways, we have opportunities to reach out and seek a friendly word of encouragement through means of emails, telephone calls and face-time.   We don’t need to remain silent, to keep things to ourselves, to wonder how other people are coping.   For when we are aware that we may feel disadvantaged because we can’t meet up with our girl-friends for coffee or get together in groups for lunch, then we become aware that they in turn most likely feel the same way.  

Loving each other

I heard the Joni Mitchell song the other night, “I’ve looked at love from both sides now.” While this is a regretful-love-song, it is more to the point a song about the two sides of love.   We can easily say we love our family, friends and neighbours, but to actually prove that in words, deeds, and caring, we rise above just being someone who says things but never does things,  In so doing, we can then become even more the person we’ve always hoped we would become.

But love doesn’t only have two sides. It is multi faceted. Love is just a four letter word, and yet it is incredibly difficult to define.  There are so many layers.  So many meanings.  So many translations.  Yet love is what makes the world go round.  It’s not being powerful, or being multi-rich, it’s being aware of another person’s needs whether they be physical or emotional and being ready to respond to those needs in whatever way we can. 

We also need to “thank” each other for countless things.   Teena the other morning reminded me about this when she told me she makes a point of saying “thank you” to all the people stocking the shelves in the supermarket where she shops. When you think about it, there are thousands of people who are still working in order for this country to continue moving forward.  To most of us they are the people in the background and we seldom give them a thought.   Why not make a short list of people you can think of, to whom you can say “thank you”.  For doing what they do, whether they are on the frontline (in their selfless examples) or in the background.     

Keep safe , everyone.   God bless you all, without exceptions.

Fondest regards

🌹 🌹 🌹