It's funny how when you're given the gift of time, you run around like a chicken with its head cut off because you don't know what to do with the hours or when it will end.
The chicken has no idea how much time it has left to feel its heartbeat, so it panics. That's what lockdown has been like for me and so many others working from home or not working at all. The tunnel we're in keeps getting longer. Mile markers change every day as we pass them by, waiting for the exit. I don't care so much about the journey, in fact, I appreciate the freedom of time on certain days, but my chicken body wants to see the light too.
This gift of time has allowed me to walk more than I ever have and find secret new nature paths while passing by older folk who did this every day before the pandemic. I recently met a plethora of furry friends within 1 hour of a walk. First, I came across a rare breed of cow - the Droimeann - who have beautiful cookies 'n' cream speckled fur. These lazy cows munched on grass and stared at me without moving closer. The horses I met shortly after, in contrast, came right to the fence and asked for a nose rub. At first, I thought there were three horses; two parents and a pony, perhaps. Upon closer inspection, the third equine turned out to be a goat. I'm sure the horses were well aware of this imposter taking their grass. The goat was most likely not as selfish as the next animal I came across.
What is this selfish animal? The cat, of course! A black cat with a bright pink tongue and yellow eyes sat perfectly still on an old Welcome mat outside a small green door - a small green door made for a leprechaun house. This charming feline meowed and advanced towards me. I nearly got its trust when a dog suddenly bounded down the street and the cat hissed as if it sprung a leak. Not wanting to get in the middle of a fight, I continued on my way. I had enough animals for one walk.
I may not have written the book or 100 poems I'd love to have produced during these Twilight-Zone months, nor did I find Nirvana or become an expert in a foreign language, but I moved my body and sought solace in nature more than ever before. I think I was looking for my head, not realizing that if I just sat still where I was, it would be there in reach.