Besides death and near-death occurrences during the coronavirus pandemic, one of the worst setbacks was the loss of freedom of movement. We all missed either eye-opening vacations to exotic locales, or simple walks along tree-lined neighborhood sidewalks with friends; inspirational excursions to museums, cathedrals, or monuments; or warming visits to the homes of family or friends. So many missed moments. In other ways, I believe many of us with the advantage of a computer and the willingness to stay connected saw more than we ever had just by staying home more.
I saw more of loved ones through Zoom meetings than I did when the expectation of such such meetings required physical contact. Those meetings continue to this day, over 100 weekly ones on Sunday night with four groups of family members, nearly 60 biweekly ones on Wednesday night with six friends from the old neighborhood, and nearly 60 biweekly ones of Saturday evening with five friends from the old job. We all continue to show up when we can, so the increased facetime means something to all of us.
From my backyard patio, I have seen so much of nature that I usually did not have or take the time to enjoy. I saw a crow descend on a hole in my lawn to peck for baby rabbits when the mother rabbit emerged from apparently nowhere and dashed toward the encroacher to defend her brood. After a quick skirmish causing the crow to lose a feather or two, it flew away with nothing for its trouble. I saw squeeze out of a 15-millimeter-diameter hollow 5 meters up my maple tree a full-sized squirrel, followed by another full-sized squirrel, followed by a third full-sized squirrel. I saw in midday sunlight two robins engage in the most elaborate dance from one end of my 27-meter lawn to the other, the first one leaping over the second, the second hopping in a circle around the first, both of them bouncing in a circle while facing each other like two boxers ready to attack, and then repeating and exchanging these moves while continuing to the starting point of the dance before flying into the leafy shade of my oak tree.
I also saw art with the focused attention that it deserves. While I admit that nothing beats seeing an original artwork, I took to my old books that I had not opened in years to examine the paintings or drawings of Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Audrey Flack, Chuck Close, Kerry James Marshall, and Jean-Michel Basquiat to challenge my assumptions and affirm my convictions about their artistry.
I never had to leave my home to experience new sights and reimagine old ones. Tragedy can breed triumph.
