My dogs and I went on a walk in our new neighborhood today. They sniffed the streets and I looked around at my new surroundings. Signs of spring are definitely coming through … flower buds on trees, one magnolia in bloom, grass becoming greener, and the singing of the birds, who are blissfully ignorant of lockdowns and social distancing.
Very few cars passed me on the streets. I chose not to listen to music and instead take in the sounds of birds and forced silence. The solitude and quiet, while normally soothing to me, left me with more of an eerie calm feeling than that of peaceful tranquility.
It’s strange when visual isolation represents the internal. … I miss my friends. I miss my sister, and my nephews and niece. I miss seeing people talking and laughing on the streets. I miss “normal” life.