Hi there, This morning whilst I was listening to the rain falling on the conservatory roof and deciding that I was probably going to forgo my daily walk which would mean I was stuck inside, all be it out of choice, my thoughts turned to the extraordinary events over the past two years, when at times I had no choice about how many walks I might take. Unless I was happy to break lockdown rules. A grey, cold and wet Sunday is a good time to reflect; to pause for thought, before I get carried away with the rest of my day.
Before I can do that however I am wondering what I mean by 'reflection' in this instance, but at least reflection is good for us all, isn’t it?
So I googled 'A Time to Reflect' and was surprised to find the first result that came up was on a site called wowhead.com - World of Warcraft. Having absolutely no idea what wowhead is, but having heard of warcraft or am I thinking of Warhammer? Anyway thought I would click on the website and take a look.
A Time to Reflect, it would appear, is a game/quest described on the website as:-
‘It is time to reflect on the events that have brought us to this moment. A celebration of our great history and the events that shape it.’
A pretty good description I would agree with that. The webpage does however, look dark and forbidding, I fear that all was not well during the events that have brought us to this moment. On the other hand I am a woman of a certain age whose experience of computer games is limited to a daily ‘Wordle’ and ‘Paperboy’ back in the 1990’s, which our two daughters really enjoyed. Maybe you have heard of it?
So I move on down the list.
The next result of note after the website with the answers to the above quest (such spoilsports) is coffeewithsummer.com.
Summer describes her site under the heading:- Coffee with Summer - lifestyle, motherhood, personal growth. There is a lovely photo of a young Mum holding her daughter on her hip. She wrote the article:- ‘Why you should take take to reflect’ back in January 2016. She gives 4 reasons why we should:- To give us proper perspective. So we can learn from our past mistakes. It allows us to get great ideas and it lets us lend a hand to others.
Yes to all four points from me.
I move on further down the google list, past the adverts for books and there are many, and the importance of weekly reflection in the workplace to:-
The Hindustan Times which shares a very descriptive piece: Delhiwale: A time to reflect, on a winter walk around a south Delhi lake, when the writer enjoys the colour of the setting sun, the myriad of wildlife all without the Delhi smog. The writer feels removed from the demands of the city, ‘The entire scenery feels remote, making the visitor feel that they have travelled too far from the familiar world.’ Yet they are only a 10 minute walk from Delhi’s outer ring road!
An ideal place for reflection perhaps?
Reflection I have discovered can be practised by all ages as the pupils of Green Lane Church of England School in Durham are discovering. Their Big Story presents a different way for the children to reflect and look at stories from the Bible, giving them time to reflect on their place in the world and understand how we need to look after each other with love and respect.
Something I experienced a lot of during lockdown.
A different take on reflection comes from an unlikely source the National Library of Medicine Bethesda USA. A Time to Reflect and a Time to Move Forward. Debra Lyon. She writes of the winter solstice marking the astronomical moment when the sun is aligned over the Tropic of Capricorn. On December 21st 2020 it was accompanied by a rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn, which appeared as a singular bright point in the sky for the first time since the middle ages.
Wow! I wish I had witnessed it. That has made me pause for thought and to reflect how different the world would have been 900 years ago. I wonder what it would have been like to live during that time? Many more diseases to plague us (no pun intended) and scientific and medicinal knowledge virtually non existent. Luckily we have had the benefit of great advances in science since then.
I scroll on:-
The United Nations founded in 1945 in San Francisco looked back over its 70 years in a short article written in 2015. The United Nations at 70: A time to Reflect. Not just reflecting on its accomplishments but the challenges ahead. Maintaining its ‘‘roadmap’ for achieving the world we want and creating a future of peace, prosperity and dignity for everyone, everywhere.’
I can’t remember ever reflecting on a global impact scale, but thank goodness there are organisations that do.
It also becomes apparent as I research, that ‘time for reflection’ can be a set moment in time. To name a few; Birthdays, Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, other Religious Festivals. Then there are the life changing moments, child birth, death of a loved one, marriage, life changing accidents, achievements, a pandemic and I am back to where I started and what prompted this moment of reflection - a pandemic.
Well my brief dip into google has revealed many a topic with ideas on a time to reflect. A time for my own reflections on the highs and lows, good and bad, sadness and joy of the past. My desires for the future, perhaps not just for me but also for the world my grandson will inhabit and what is being done now to ensure a sustainable future. How much being out in nature has sustained me during the difficult times and how I hope to enjoy its positive influences in times ahead. How grateful I am for modern medicine and how I have learned not to take my health for granted.
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Its been a while since my last blog. Hope this blog engages you for a brief while on this wet, windy and cold February day. I am looking forward to Spring and more camper van adventures.
Bye for now
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