Yesterday, Monday, March 23, 2020, was day 1 of week 2 of our self imposed isolation. I should clarify that isolation does not mean we don't see or talk to anyone else - we're just not inviting others into our home and when we do see other people we're maintaining the 6 foot distance as recommended by the Presidential Guidelines to slow the spread of COVID - 19 as well as those guidelines provided by the state of Arizona.  These are virtually the same and one small thing we can do for the country.  We're thriving and full of hope as we continue to see and experience examples of kindness and hopefullness.

Today I was inspired by my friend Laurie's post from Jennifer Wagner's Insprinity: "And the people sat still and the earth healed and Spring came, flowers bloomed, brightening hope and beauty back into the world..."

After our usual routine of walking and feeding Tux, meditation, showers we ventured off to the grocery store.  As people who love to be in the kitchen, our usual routine is to go to the grocery story at least every other day. Our new reality is once a week (ONCE A WEEK!). What was shocking is that the grocery store looked very similar to last week - the same shelves were empty - the grocery story employees looked slightly stressed. What was amazing to witness was the gentleness and kindness of everyone - shoppers and employees alike inspite of the continuous changes.  No, we didn't get everything on our list - but we're learning to improvise. As an example - there is no flour of any kind in our grocery store. To a baker, that's a disaster and I'm down to the last cup of regular flour. There was however, plenty of whole oats in the cereal aisle which is pretty easy to grind in the food processor to make flour that can be used for banana bread and cookies. Fortunately we still have bread flour to make homemade bread.

Our afternoon walk took us to the Desert Meadows Garden - it's Tux friendly and full of surprises these days as Spring unfolds.  Things looked different from just 2 days ago - we witnessed groups of 5 - 6 people sitting in a circle of chairs spaced at least 6 feet apart genuinely having a good time together - enjoying the beautiful Arizona sunshine, companionship, and the garden coming to life.

 Spring is here - the flowers are blooming - the birds are singing - beauty is all around us - brightening our hope - in the midst of change.

Stay well!