Noticing the world around us

Since joining the ranks of the sheltered in place, I have noticed the little things. Clean air. Quiet streets. Fewer planes in the sky. The smell of briquettes and not fast food. Even animal sounds. A mourning dove, my neighborhood's rooster, now announces each day at six.

Such is life in a COVID-19 world. When our mechanized civilization shuts down, our senses open. We notice more and appreciate more. We do more too. We speak to people we have put off for far too long. We watch the movies and prepare the dishes we had filed away. We pull the weeds and plant the flowers. We take the long walks.

We also view our fellow citizens differently. I know I will never again grumble about a long wait in a doctor's office or a keypad mistake by a distracted grocery checker. When people we often take for granted risk their lives for society, I, for one, take notice and applaud.

We work differently as well. Though not all of us can return to our jobs or return to them in the same capacity, we can still be productive. Thanks to technology, creative approaches, and the willingness to adapt, some have not stopped working at all. I know such people.

I have used the down time to finish one work and begin another. Caitlin's Song will be out in audio this month. The Fair, book two in the Time Box series, is 30-percent complete. I hope all of you are making the most of this trying and unusual time. Stay safe!