Making hay while the sun shines

There is something about a sunny day that brings you right in to the present moment.

I’m happy to leap out of bed and dash towards adventure, reluctant to miss a drop of sunshine just in case it decides to suddenly disappear and never come back.

The smell of cut grass reminds me of childhood, although I’m not sure exactly why, when calamine lotion would be more appropriate. Once you’ve suffered chicken pox, the itchy feeling never quite leaves.

Then there are the memories of holidays abroad - the smell of sun tan lotion is the smell of freedom.

Teenagers have a very different relationship to the glorious weather, indifferent and bemused by the fact that I’m so cock-a-hoop to go out.

I remember being of an age where I didn’t care if it were 25C or absolute zero. Anyway, teens can ignore 10 hours of blue skies, bedroom blinds drawn and duvet wrapped around them. It’s their feeling of immortality and disregard for the future that leads them to thumb their nose at a sunny day.

I was just the same. Now, I jump up and down, imploring them to take a walk, but it’s their mobile phones they want.

Perhaps when they are my age, nothing will remind them of anything.

We older souls know that we should, almost literally, make hay while the sun shines. I went to a garden centre today. As a child I’d have rather eaten Brussels sprouts or had my toenails pulled out with rusty pliers than willingly gone to such a place.

I not only went but enjoyed it, picking out a few plants and buying some asparagus. Then we went home and sat in the garden with ice-lollies. I like to think of today as less of a practise for retirement (still many moons away) and more of stealing a short holiday from the jaws of lockdown.

Let’s all enjoy hanging the washing out on the line and barbecuing cheap burgers before the rain comes.

I can’t remember what my point was, probably something to do with a hackneyed metaphor about living a fulfilling life. Perhaps I was going to go on to say that, in this terrible situation, we can try to grab moments of happiness.

The ‘Zoom’ phenomenon has had some upsides. I’ve been in touch with a few people that I haven’t seen for years and I’ve even won the odd quiz. Some friends have had it harder, not winning any quizzes at all. Sadly, I’ve friends that have lost their jobs and some have lost loved ones. No amount of vitamin D can make that better.

All I know is, I’ve enjoyed the sunshine today and just for a few hours, pretended I was on a sun lounger in Greece. I’m trying to fight off the ennui because who knows what tomorrow will bring?

More at www.johncooperhypnosis.com