Lockdown has been a really difficult and traumatic time for so many people, I have found myself thinking of how I would feel if I was a single Mum with 3 children in a tower block in an inner city, or if I was one the people living hand to mouth with no work or if one of my close family members had succumbed to the terrible disease that is COVID 19. These harsh realities have made me appreciate all the good around us and the amazing flexibility and adaptability of each and every one of us.
As a bit of fun I decided to write an Alphabet of appreciation for the things that have helped me through the last few months, I’ve tried to keep it light!
A – Allotment – Who would have thought a patch of brambles a year ago would have been our holiday destination in 2020!
B – Beauty – With less traffic, air pollution and a slower pace we have had time to appreciate the true beauty of the area in which we live and the beautiful people that surround us.
C – Clapping – Who hasn’t been moved to tears whilst banging a saucepan with total strangers! 
D – Distance – Distance is a physical boundary and we’ve all found creative ways to stay connected.
E – Exercise – The mornings I’ve spent jumping up and down on my patio, setting up obstacle courses in the garden. My son can now put a T-shirt on whilst doing a handstand and my husband can hula hoop – who would have thought it! 
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F – Facebook – it took lockdown for me to join Facebook, I now see it has connected me to family and friends in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without it.
G – Gratitude – Being grateful for the little things In life, and just about everything. 
H – Hugs – Imagining what the hugs will be like when they eventually come. 
I – I am that I am – So Hum
J – Jokes – A sense of humour is a wonderful thing, and as humans we are able to laugh at just about anything,
K – Key Workers – such a wonderful job so many are doing but one of these key workers is my own daughter who has learning difficulties and works in a residential home for disabled people, I am both humbled and proud.
L – Lettuce – Having spent quite so many hours growing lettuce we now have an abundance, if anyone is short of salad please let me know!
M – Music – Music connects us to times, places and emotions, how wonderful is it that we can tap in to any sounds we wish to hear. 
N – Nature – Just being out in nature is such a treat. 
O – Open – Looking forward with hope and an open heart, (knowing the schools, shops restaurants, pubs and businesses will be open soon too brings new optimism) 
P – Photographs – Capturing moments in time. How incredible it is that we have these pictures of people and places to cherish, share and revisit.
Q – Quiz – Personally I’m not a quiz fan, this may be something to do with an anatomy exam once being disguised as a quiz or having very competitive siblings but the quiz is the new going out and I think we even won one!
R – Rainbows – A rainbow is a magical thing, and everywhere we look there are rainbows! 
S – Sun – The sun has shone and shone, it reminds me of summer when I was young! I salute the sun! 
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T – Technology – How incredible is it that I can sit in my kitchen typing this and you will read it in a different time and place, computers, phones, tablets are one thing but there is science and technology hard at work to help us find a way through this. 
U – Upside down – The whole world is upside down right now, but anyone who’s ever met me knows I love being upside down, inversions are my favourite maybe it’s because I was told they keep you young.
V – Variable – This describes life for most people over the last few months. (It also describes my mood).
W – Weeding – I thought of many W’s from What’s App to When I’ll I see you again but as an allotmenteer a phrase recently coined by other allotmenteers, weeding has featured heavily and kept me and my lovely family busy for many many hours.
X – Has to be the number of ‘x’s typed electronically…. I wonder how many it is? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Y – Yoga – Yoga is the thing that brings me to this place, but it is so much more, I love having the privilege to share this gift with you all. ♀️
Z – Zoom – Who had heard of Zoom even at the beginning of the year? And here we are Zooming here Zooming there and at the same time standing still!
I hope you have enjoyed my little alphabet of appreciation.
Anj xxx
