Covid-19 has taught us and will continue to teach us a lot.
What have I noticed when venturing beyond my fence for a brisk 2m distanced walk? People are smiling, people look happy! On social media I am seeing post after post of families dancing in the kitchen, getting creative and making funny games together, baking, laughing, we are connecting with our roots, which is what The Healing Spaces project is all about.
In many cultures rest is much more incorporated into normal life.
The Spanish sleep in midday or afternoon, known as a siesta.
I am reading a wonderful book at the moment called 'Einstein and the Rabbi' by Naomi Levy, she expresses Sabbath - the Jewish day of rest, "No matter what your faith tradition is, imagine a day aside each week for romance, for family, for community, for learning and prayer. A day for sensuality, physical pleasure, good food, nature, song. The Sabbath teaches us how to take back our lives, how to balance work and home, prose and poetry, ego and soul."
"The Sabbath is the soul of the week. The days preceding it are days of expectation and eager anticipation, the days after are awash in its afterglow, like a sky in purples and reds after the sun has set".
If New Zealand (or Australia too) evolved an old new culture, that Sunday was 'home day' again, shops are closed, including supermarkets, more of us get time off together. Some might argue that jobs would be lost and maybe so, but community initiatives might take strength as apposed to paid interests.
There are existing organisations that have 'tree planting day' or perhaps a free concert in the park, cooking together for a big family lunch or cuddling in with your kids and watching a movie on the couch. Do we have to keep making more and more money to buy more and more stuff when we have these soul cleansing activities at our fingertips.
The experience of this lockdown has also shown us how quickly the environment can recover, imagine giving our land and oceans one day a week to breathe, with us.
I am no politician, nor do I intend to be, consider this post like a 'dear diary' what do you think about returning to the old way of closing trade on Sundays? What would it look like for you?
It is possible I am in the afterglow of another full day spent with my partner and children and as challenging as that can be, I am so grateful for this time together, in the midst of tragedy, we are reforming what is important. Perhaps this is a way we can keep the lessons we have learnt and allow the compassion we have shown for each other and ourselves to live on, in community and rest.
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