Gratitude for bird song and clean air

Something else is happening around us.  We can hear bird song.  Nature is breathing more freely with the 80% reduction in road and air traffic in many countries.  Cities that are normally choked in polluted air are experiencing Alpine like air quality.  Wild animals are venturing further into urbanisations so that coyotes have been seen on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco and sheep roam into towns in Wales.  Endangered hawksbill sea turtles hatch safely on a deserted beach in Brazil.  Our native badgers, hedgehogs and deer will be much safer with less traffic by their fragile homes.

The on-going stresses and challenges of life in lockdown remain.  This time is infused with illness and loss and is incredibly hard for so many.  Alongside this very real and serious human crisis, is it possible that the global collective "pause" could teach us something?   The reduction in air pollution for the planet fills me with relief and gratitude.  These tiny signs of our planet healing gives me the same quiet excitement I feel on a cold winter's day when I open the curtains to see that snow has fallen. 

Just for a moment, I want to burst out of my house and fling my arms open breathing in our clearer air.  In my imagination I could visit Kuala Lumpur and admire the Petronas Towers without any hint of city smog.  I could wander the cobbled streets of Nerja in Spain without traffic roaring past.  I could stand in a park in New Dehli and just see the clear blue of the sky without the grey haze of pollution.

Closer to home and not needing imagination is my delight in the joyful sound of bird song.  It is no surprise that it sounds so exquisitely melodic right now.  On my narrow road near the sea, it is extremely quiet.  And I love it.  We are no longer dodging over-sized cars driving too fast looking to park.  Being a "sensitive" person by nature, the quiet is incredibly calming.  There is a change in energy from the normal constant drone of traffic.  When a lone plane flies overhead I stop to remark on a) where on earth is it going? and b) it sounds so loud against the backdrop of quiet.

Yes, we can't stay in our houses for months/years to come.  At some point the human species will emerge out of their home like caves.  But if I could keep one bit of this incredible time like a treasure, it would be the cleaner air and quieter planet.


My three things I am grateful for today:

1)  The cleaner air in many towns and cities worldwide.
2) The wonderful sound of the birds I heard this morning in the garden.
3) Having enough food in the house for three delicious meals.


Comments

  1. Sue WalkerJune 12, 2020 at 3:16 PM

    T. writes "Wonderful blog you have! Read every sentence of it! Basically, since the beginning of the confinement on 17th March in Belgium, I have been grateful for the sun to rise and shine and set every day non-stop, except for last weekend when it rained a little. Grateful for this warm weather almost like... summer? I am happy by nature and can live with little so this time of confinement is just almost perfect for me. This situation is a confirmation that we can live with less and be open to more nature."

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