What does your ideal day look like?
(This is an improvement to yesterdays discussion on emojis, don’t ya think?)
One of my earliest memories as a (very) small child is of color: the vivid green of grass that stretches uninterruptedly over low hills and that particular blue of a summer sky on a not too hot summer’s day. I have in mind an image but of no particular place — real, imagined, or on TV I do not know, maybe it’s the stillness and ease in that image that I’m responding to. As an adult, I’ve seen these colors oh so very rarely. My ideal day would be to stay in that place. I’ve done so only twice in recent memory:
The first was during siesta in Seville, Spain. It was midsummer and the thermometers read 48℃ /118℉. The shops were all closed. There were no cars on the road. And I was on a rental bike riding ’round the city. I brought a packed a lunch, stopped at a pocket park and sat under the shade of an olive tree on a long wooden bench and I saw those colors. Thinking on that day now, it’s really an inner feeling that the outside world seems to share, something like a synchronicity more than the colors.
The other time was shortly after the first lockdown was announced in Japan. It was March, I believe. I had decided to to take up jogging and on the first day of the lockdown started my run early, maybe about seven and everything was still. Not a single person. Not a single car on the road. Perfect stillness with a crisp blue sky and new green from leaves just starting to bud. The was bliss (all the photos on this page are from my iPhone on that morning).
Reflecting on what I’ve written, my ideal day is a day without people and all the noise of modern life while in the city with all it’s architecture and convenience. I do not get the same feeling hiking, even on the best day.
What was the world around you like after the first lockdown? Did you enjoy anything about it? Let me know in the comments.
made by you and I 
Delighted to hear you’ve found the stillness of Nature is what makes an ideal day…versus what mass marketing would like so many to believe. 🙂
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Luckily or unluckily, I was in the city on the first day of lockdown. I did not enjoy the feeling of emptiness in the city. It felt like a bad movie or the day before the apocalypse. Although I hate crowds, I like being with people. Having said that, when I lived in high density cities,I appreciated the break from oppressive crowds.
Thanks for this post. I’ve been getting less inspired with these prompts. More than once I’ve been tempted to abandon Bloganuary but then I read you response and decide to continue. For how much longer? We will see …
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Beautiful images!
Unpopular opinion: I loved the first three/four months of the first ever lockdown for the following reasons:
a) I live on the main road on a major intersection so my house is usually noisy except after 12 am. But oh it was so wonderfully quiet. No traffic noises at all!
b) My university hadn’t started online classes yet, so I felt like a kid on summer vacation! It was a great time for me. I had time to do so many things and it was a great break from my monotonous routine!
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Just between us (shhhhh) I actually liked the effect of the lockdowns. TBH, I lost my job and that forced me to look to the future and take on new challenges. That wouldn’t have happened without the pandemic, something I hear echoed the ‘the great resignation’. But over here, only the first pandemic had an affect on people’s daily lives. The lockdowns that came after had more to do with closing pubs and restaurants at an early hour.
Has your university gone back to in person learning or have you been online all or most of the pandemic?
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I’m happy that losing your job became a positive change!
Same here, the first lockdown was harsh for everyone but the successive ones was only like 50% theatre and restaurant occupancy and stuff!
I had been learning online almost all of the pandemic. Only in Dec 2020 when it was somewhat relatively less bad here, did I have go to uni to write my 5th sem final exams and practical’s. But that’s about it. I even graduated online😂😂
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Nice to see the pictures. Thanks for sharing. I live in a quiet suburban neighborhood. So we didn’t feel that much difference.
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That’s interesting. The burbs is usually chill then? From what I saw on Social Media, people freaked out, closed parks, and made everyone stay inside.
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I live in Western Pennsylvania. Not many people worry about the pandemic here.
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https://mazeepuran.wordpress.com/2020/03/29/weekend-88-distance/
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I enjoy the simplicity, structure and stillness in your pictures. Very zen.
My friends and I enjoy the lockdown — we like that there’s fewer people; and the current rule saying we can’t have more than 5 guests, means we have fewer people at our get-togethers. As a result, we feel closer. I guess we’re mainly introverts!
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You know, that’s a good why to think about it: My perfect day is “Zen-full”. 🙃 I like that it sounds like its opposite. 😆
(I swear I’m using emojis more after yesterday’s prompt.)
Glad you’re still having fun during the lockdown. ❤️
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Stillness and green, I get that. What was the first day of lockdown like for myself, nothing changed. I stay on my small sheep ranch and work. Animals need food and water daily. Dogs need worked and trained. Laundry and dishes need done, and dinner for myself and my husband. I do not get away from the ranch much. Enjoyed this post, most thoughtful of your posts I have read. I do like how you start and end each post with a question for thought.
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I was raised by women. They taught me to pay attention to the details. That you noticed the details in my posts over time means a lot. It’s a kindness and consideration and I’m grateful to learn what I do well and badly. Thank you.
So sheep, eh? 🤔 I’m thinking New Zealand… (flashback to ‘assumptions’ and ’emojis’)
I look forward to reading ‘Me, Myself, and I’ when it’s up. 😁
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Your comment encourages me. I have launched Me, Myself and I. I do enjoy your perspective.
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Thanks. I will take a look. 🙂
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