“I can see clearly now the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way…here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for… it’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) sun shiny day”
– Johnny Nash “I Can See Clearly Now”
Released two years after the first ever Earth Day in 1970, Johnny Nash’s anthem of sunshine after the struggle and better days ahead has been playing in my head lately.
When it hit no. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 charts in ’72, Nash, who grew up singing in church, was 32 and already 15 long years of “trying to make it” in the music industry.
There’s a soaring euphoria to this “reggae but not technically reggae” song: the dark days, the tough nights, the bright light on the other side. Pain turning to hope, then up five notches to relief, gratitude, fortitude and elation. The triumph of the human spirit. You win/won because you keep/kept going.
This week I’ve totally tuned out of “the virus”. 44 days into self-isolation alone (and “no partner, no cat, no dog, no hamster”) it’s do-able. But not always nice.
The lows have been frightening (a new, very unwelcome insomnia, and 3 intense nightmares related to worrying about my mum who fell just 5 days after I left her and had to have hip surgery just as the virus was blowing up – waiting 5 days in hospital before being operated on just in the nick of time before they cancelled all but life-threatening surgery). She used to answer the phone on the second ring, she cannot answer it now so it just rings and rings, and the staff are dealing with cv.
Just before I left I tore my rotator cuff (the pain!) and just after I left I burned my leg.
I have to move out of here soon, so I found a place but the owner was tricky, I had a bad feeling so that all ended yesterday. Yesterday, too, I found another place but it’s way over my budget (but I’ve taken it, I need a safe place to stay and I finally have a kitchen to myself, no sharing, overlooking a little garden – I put that on my vision board at Christmas!)
But back to tuning out of this virus. I’ve never been a news watcher, but I did start reading and checking stats when things got serious. Everything blew up so fast it felt surreal, and the temptation to look at the daily stats got the better of me.
Now I let the news blare on…whatever. It feels *really* good not to tune in. I can feel my brain and limbic system saying “thank you”. The TV doesn’t work here so it’s a blessing in disguise.
I don’t have my beauty stash with me but if I did, here’s what I’d be adding to it:
Ecooking’s bodyguard of a hand cream (great for dry, sanitiser gel weary hands)
Bramley’s summery bubble bath which takes me back to my dogsitting days in a country house in Herts with a huge leafy tree outside the bathroom window
Nude By Nature’s glossy, creamy lip gloss, I used to quickly apply it in the rear view mirror before heading out for dinner on warm summer evenings on holiday
I also love Tisserand’s juicy, 100% Mediterranean summer essential oil, an instant cheer-up on cloudy days, I’d get a couple of these mood-boosters at least for my oil diffuser.
The Little Soap Company’s Grapefruit & Orange Soap is the perfect soap for sunny days, and then Neom’s Happiness Candle…one of each for each of us please.
And if you haven’t come across nature-inspired Greek brand KEAR yet (not KEAP!) you’re in for a treat. (Watch this brand – it was a Beauty Shortlist Awards favourite). I miss their balms and their SOFI Apricot Lip Balm is the best! #LOVE
Things that make me happy.
I have to say being alone in lockdown when you’d much rather not be alone, lockdown or not, totally sucks, tbh.
I have a new tomato plant I’ll be chatting to by next week. You really miss talking to a real person’s face. Digital…better than nothing but not the same (at ALL).
Let’s not even go there re hugs and physical contact. Just the comfort of having someone you like in the same room, someone to get rid of spiders for you or check that funny sound in the car.
There’s a shadowy worry lingering here…what if I pass out for some reason alone? Who would even find me?
So I seek out the good stuff: walks, music, cooking, aromatherapy, dark chocolate, occasional ice creams which I regret afterwards…my evening entertainment, books, podcasts, meditation and YouTube – Marisa Peer, Deepak, Rich Roll, Eckhart Tolle, Dr Daniel Amen, Joe Dispenza…whoever you resonate with, they’re good for you.
“I can see clearly now” that this won’t last forever. We’ll be OK. Social distancing is here to stay for a (long) while…that feels mind blowing if you’re alone.
It’s a grim reaper of a virus and while I’ve always hated hospitals it’s just incredible to see our frontline NHS staff going to work every day and putting others before them (outrageous that they have to take this risk without proper protection) and this story is repeating around the globe.
It’s almost time to get out and go for a walk, so I just want to share this – it’s a tip by brain health expert Dr Daniel Amen which I’ve been doing for 3 days:
AT THE END OF YOUR DAY, ASK YOURSELF
“WHAT WENT WELL TODAY”?
Even if it was just “a coffee in the sun”, add it to your sun-shiny day list. 🙂 x
Its all about the little things …