Little things can be a life line

We saw this in someone's front yard. I can relate. 

I'm fortunate to have been a part of  Washington University St. Louis Center for Humanities #LifeLines poetry project.

Each weekday for the month of April, in recognition of  Poetry Month, under the direction of Jean Allman, numerous curators provided five word prompts to be used in a short 7-8 line poem. They were displayed on line.

This was exactly the challenge I needed to stretch my literary muscles in a time when I found it nearly impossible to write. I produced 22 poems. Some made me sigh, laugh, or cry.  This project truly was a life line!

I have been used to babysitting my two youngest great-grandsons one day a week since they were born. It had been more than a month since I had seen them, and longer since I'd seen Liam the big kindergartener.

While my granddaughter shopped at Sam's for diapers, her husband stopped in our driveway so I could see my babies. The ache was real! I suited up, covered my clothes in a trash bag, wore clear plastic gloves and a face mask. I gave Liam, Alex and Charlie books and cookies. They giggled and we sang a song and talked a little bit.

Liam says he hopes he can see me in September. They all have summer birthdays, so I guarantee you it will be before then. When they left, my heart was happy/ sad. Liam told his mama I looked like Thanksgiving dinner. I think he meant a turkey in a roasting bag. LOL

 Little things make me happy. I woke to this blossoming rose bush yesterday. I am delighted to see we will be providing food for tiny bees and caterpillars. They have already started eating the leaves and will devour them in a matter of weeks (no matter what we spray on it.) So this year, I decided to give the bush to the insects. I will enjoy it in full bloom for a few weeks and then marvel that a few roses bloom now and then during summer. Beauty and food should be shared.

 The sun is shining and the day is moving on, so I am going outdoors to enjoy some fresh air. Exercise these days is mostly cerebral, although I do walk a mile in our neighborhood some days.

How are you surviving the pandemic?