mcharlottesmith

I went out to get groceries today, and I even washed my hair and put makeup on before leaving the house!

Although the trees are starting to put on their summer colours, the weather was still very much in spring mode, so I had to walk a bit faster to warm up.

I am happy to report that in spite of the green summery landscape, there are still plenty flowers in bloom.

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In the concrete jungle where you live, please remember to also keep blooming.

Be kind. Stay safe

When I was in my final year of school we had a 40 days celebration, before the end of the school year. There was some pigtails or funny hair styles involved and something not unlike a flash mob, but before social media.

I am honestly thankful that we didn’t have social media and camera phones when I was a teenager. Not because I’m old fashioned but because there were some really horrible hairstyles in my past. Curly hair and a ’90s bob did not go down well, I can tell you that. Maybe that’s what comes from trying to fit in when you’re born to stand out.

Social media aside, there are some amazing memories from my teenage years,and luckily we have the ability to forget the less amazing ones. During this time I met some of my closest friends still today. I rediscovered my love of reading. It was the first steps in becoming the person I am today.

Now that I’m spending so much time my myself, it is perhaps also a time of becoming the person I will be after COVID-19, or perhaps unbecoming the parts of me didn’t fit so well with who I want to be.

Be kind. Stay safe.

I have bought these little violets for my windowsill on the first weekend after we started working from home. The palm I had already but I moved it from another part of the house so I can have something pretty to look at from my home office.

It’s just as well because as the season changes the trees are getting beautiful foliage and that means I can no longer see the dogs taking their owners for a down walk on the street level.

I don’t think I’ve ever been as attentive to plants in my life. Maybe it’s because I don’t have much else to do or because I see directly how they react to their environment. In the afternoon the sun comes in and it gets quite warm there. When I forget to water it they start looking sad and droopy and if I skip a day they all go and lie down.

Surprisingly, when I water them after such a droop, it only takes a few few hours for them to turn their heads back to the sun and stand up straight.

If nature is so resilient, how much more are we, as human beings? Perhaps with a bit of care we will also stand up straight again one day.

Be kind. Stay safe

There is so much information out there, and it is so unavoidable that it is starting to feel like a wall of noise.

I worry that the real suffering of people who are sick and who lose loved ones gets drowned in the sheer volume of it all. I worry deeply about the most vulnerable people. The old, the sick and the poor. Who takes care of them and what happens to them when the world settles into its new normal? I wonder about so many who will lose their jobs or their income in this crisis. Will they recover?

One thing I’m experiencing is that this crisis brings out the true nature of people. Maybe with so much prolonged stress they drop the façade and we can see what they really care about,whether it’s it ugly greed or the biggest softest hearts.

I am not an expert or anything, but I think it’s safe to say that everyone is affected by this, one way or another, and that it’s OK to feel worried. More importantly it’s OK to reach out and talk to someone about the things that worry you. If you need someone to talk to, feel free to get in touch.

Be kind. Stay safe.

The highlight of my day was that I learnt how to customise my videoconferencing background. I could upload some of my own pictures and appear to be at Machu Picchu or on Ipanema Beach.

The latter is probably quite appropriate, because my goal is to play some Bossa Nova music on the guitar. I am so thankful for the opportunity to make music in this time of strangeness and Covid-19. In the free hours of the day its a way to apply my mind to something, to work towards something and notice the progress as I learn to master new techniques and chords.

Ever since I was a child I found some sort of escape in music. Its one of the few activities that consumes so much of my mind that I don’t have any room left to worry about the things that would otherwise worry me. Not only is it a mental and physical challenge to get the coordination and rhythm together, but also it takes some significant emotional capacity to interpret the music.

Even if I am not playing, just listening to music has the incredible effect of transporting me to a place, known or unknown for a little while. Just listening to the Girl from Ipanema takes me to the one incredible weekend I visited Rio de Janeiro. It still feels like a bit of a dream, but oh so sweet. My first beach walk turned out to be cancelled due to a burst of rain that left me looking and feeling more like a bedraggled chicken than the suntanned girl in the song. However, I can still feel the warm sun on my skin from the rest of the week and the warm ocean as I went for my surf lesson on Praia de Arpoador.

I hope in these days you can also escape to somewhere where you are happy.

Be kind. Stay safe

I see the oil price dropped below zero in the US for the first time ever. This is definitely unprecedented times! For the first time in history people google graphs related to healthcare systems and the death rate of countries. The world has changed in a few short months and now we are in uncharted territory

36 days is a lot. I have settled into a routine of working from home and it is hard to imagine myself going back to work, taking a busy commuter train to my place of work, and all those people in such a close proximity. I am lucky that my work allows me to continued unhindered, from the comfort of my home. After work I took a little walk around my neighbourhood to stretch my legs and take in the late afternoon sunshine with the fresh air.

I find it strange with walks. The first bit is always such a bother, I feel like its uncomfortable and quite honestly, boring. Then after a while it feels like my legs just do their own thing and I get into a rhythm and I end up walking much longer than I thought I wanted to when I started out. I remember when I started mountain biking I had the same sensation; the first kilometer or three always feel like a drag and after that it starts becoming fun.

Maybe this new life that we live is a bit like that. The first few week is the uncomfortable minutes where you have to get used to it, and sort of push through to get into a rhythm. Now, although I miss the interaction with friends and colleagues, I think I can continue working like this for a longer while.

The world is full of uncertainty. They are talking about relaxing some measures and extending the time for a longer while. Everyone is looking to see what the neighbouring countries are doing and trying to guess what will happen next. Some estimates state that airport traffic will return to normal by 2023 only. What is normal? Or will there be a new normal? Only time will tell.

Be kind. Staty safe.

Today was amazing!

I started out with a bit of yoga and was delighted to find that one particular movement that I struggle with is getting a bit easier.

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Then I went for a forest walk with some friends, followed by a BBQ or braai as we call it in South Africa. All this time we maintained the appropriate distance as per the regulations.

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To end of an already great day, I watched a feel good movie and even played a bit of guitar. Not only my yoga has improved it seems, even that one illusive chord I’m learning is getting closer to be within reach!

As weekends go, I will consider this one successful in terms of rest and re-energising me for the week ahead.

Be kind. Stay safe.

I had some plans to go for an afternoon walk in the forest, but alas! It started to rain, so plans changed to watching an old favorite movie and cooking up a delicious curry.

I have also found that it’s really fun to play Scrabble online with friends,let me know if you want to join!

Be kind. Stay safe

Today was my birthday and it was really special. I had made up my mind not to be sad about the missed opportunities and rather celebrated that which I am thankful for.

Every year my favourite part of my birthday is hearing from everyone, and this year was no different. I woke up to messages and phone calls from home and all over the world and my day continued along those lines until the clock struck twelve and it is officially over.

I got e cards and video messages and GIFs and even a personalised TikTok! Every message conveys something personal, a memory or an in joke and I could not help but feel loved.

For the last few years I have been fortunate enough to travel around this time of year and I’ve seen so many amazing places. I have celebrated my birthday in Washington DC(2015) Cape Town(2016) Tel Aviv(2017) Sondela South(2018) and Oaxaca (2019), Amsterdam(2020)

Even the birthdays spent in my home country was spent with love and affection. Whether I hosted a old school tea and cake with my friends on a Sunday Afternoon or spent a midweek break at a bush lodge with my parents and old family friends, it was exactly what I wanted.

This year the circumstances were different but not the joy and love. Although this is my home now, it is so new and beautiful, so it counts as a destination as well.

I baked a cake, had a great day at work, spoken with my colleagues, friends and family, played a bit of guitar and eventually I ended it playing a boardgame with some of my oldest friends.

My heart is full and I am thankful. Thankful that I have another year of memories, experiences and adventures. Thankful for my health and job and the safety of my living situation. I am thankful for every person that is a part of my life, giving it the colour that it has.

Looking forward I can only hope that I can take the opportunity that is given me and make a positive impact on the world around me.

Be kind. Stay safe.

It’s more days today than there are days in a month. I can’t say I look forward to life returning to normal,because I no longer know what normal means.

There are parts of this new life that I love; people reach out more. I hear from friends who are normally so caught up in the busy of every day that I seldom hear from them. People make time to reach out and be social, even they wouldn’t do that in the course of daily life. I don’t look forward to that ending.

I don’t look forward to tourists walking in the bike line or sharing a Monday train with a bunch of red eye weekenders who came to smoke weed or have a bachelor party or both.

I do look forward to interacting on person with my colleagues: having a quick chat beats a phone call by miles. I look forward to going to the theatre and dancing lessons and seeing a film and going back to my hobbies. I look forward to going to the beach and seeing if the waves are any good for surfing. I look forward to mountain biking in the park and travelling to new places. Maybe not tomorrow, but definitely one day.

While this is a strange and difficult time it is forcing me to take stock of what makes me happy and who is the person I want to be. What is a hardship is also an opportunity.

Be kind. Stay safe