If You Can't Go Outside, Go Inside!

Srama · Mar 28, 2020

A friend after some conversation goes, “I don’t know how you do it! I am so ready to get back to work.” I don’t like that statement at many levels, and it doesn’t help my already frayed nerves one bit! I have been listening to the news you see. But I am also in no mood to argue or even simply state my position. While I am a home body and absolutely love it, I am not much of a phone person. I have committed a couple of faux pas on messages already! I decide I cannot let these things or people define who I am, what I feel! I decide to shut everything, I mean the talks, the messages, the TV out and go for a walk.

The temperature is just right. It is cloudy, misty and there is a need for a pair of gloves and a jacket. The air is fresh, reminding me of a hill station. I can hear the birds chirping away. I clearly hear a woodpecker; the same one continuing to peck away through the summer annoying one of my neighbors, an owl's hoot and a million other chirps! As I pause and look up the trees to associate a sound with a bird, I hear the drip drip and I look down to see the rainwater with fascination making way into the ground.

I draw a couple of deep breaths in as I continue to walk with a resolve. A resolve to drown myself in the sounds and sights that are in front of me, shutting those thoughts out. As I continue the walk, I find myself enjoying the houses as if I am seeing them for the first time, noticing their character against the beauty of the morning, the fresh leaves, flowers, the quietness surrounding them, and the parked cars in the drive ways!

I stop by to take a video of a couple of squirrels chasing one another, maybe they are even fighting. I don’t know. The noises they make in the quietness, the quickness of their movements in the stillness around is amazing. Occasionally somewhere in the background, I hear a car whiz by only serving as a distraction. As I pick up the lonely wrapper in the middle of the road, I see the same runner I come across everyday while driving to work. Only, I am walking now!

I find myself smiling taking pictures as I walk, actually thinking this snippet out in my mind wondering if I can capture and convey the joy I feel in myself and my surroundings while I hear the birds making louder sounds as if to draw my attention back to them and keep it there. Little do they know that I hear them more than the thoughts in my head. I stop to pen down my thoughts in the middle of the street as cool breeze blows at my face. I smile. While I love the sun, this misty morning is something else!

As I continue my walk, I run into a couple of elderly folks. The gentleman is walking his dogs as usual. I stop to play with the dogs, inquiring about his wife chit chatting with him for a couple of minutes before I join the other elderly lady who has been walking a little ahead of me. She is dressed to a T for that early a morning. I make a mental note – certain things are a must and one of them is presenting oneself properly. She talks about her early morning run to the grocery store, enjoying the oldies music being played for the senior citizens for their time of shopping. She seems happy that finally she is enjoying shopping with her age group, enjoying what they enjoy. It makes me wonder about how preoccupied we can be, touting what we like or think, to the world not pausing to listen to others!

As I reach my house, I bid my goodbyes to her. I walk into the house to Toby right behind the door, waiting to greet me and instead of his usual jumping and licking, he goes straight into a heavy sniffing mode. I get down to his level, look him in the eye and confess, “Sorry Toby! You are right. I have been seeing other dogs behind your back”. He pauses his sniffing perhaps only because of my tone to give me a confused look and continues doing what he was doing!

I go into the kitchen to find a lone pistachio shell
sitting on the counter welcoming me with a smile, even teasing me I think - handiwork of one of my kids! How can such things not bring joy?

My phone beeps fighting for my attention, again. The word for the day flashes

I think of the message that is going around

I flash a look at the teasing pistachio shell think of my walk outside wanting to go inside, thinking of the word of the day, making me wonder…………

kkrish · Mar 29, 2020

That was a nice pleasant walk outside with you @Srama

Just yesterday the weather turned warm in our place. So put out the curry leaf pot and did a bit of weeding.
Today I plan to clean up the kitchen garden plot and put some seeds.

Need to plant some veggies.

So looking forward to getting some sunlight.

Viswamitra · Mar 29, 2020

Dear Sabitha,

I really enjoyed your sense of humor in your conversation with Toby, "Yes. I have been seeing other dogs behind your back". Isn't it interesting how they conduct a DNA test with their noses? They don't need a lab to do it and they can register over a million different smells in their repository. When no one is home, they find spots that were last occupied by the household members and hang around that area to keep smelling the household members until they return from work.

"If you can't outside, go inside" - This message in WhatsApp had a profound impact on me as well and resulted in a study circle today with our whole spiritual center members online. It is interesting how people switch to do everything online. We are now conducting all moral classes to the children online and conduct bhajan singing and study circle online too.

When the world communicates with humanity to pause for a while, it might be a great time nature is telling us to go deep inside and retrospect. What can we do to comply with nature? How do we reduce man-made pollutants? How can we address climate change? How can we stop cutting the trees and plant more? How can we practice not polluting the rivers and oceans? How do we treat rare species? What type of food can we eat to remain healthy? How do we avoid this kind of Pandemic?

Your snippet made me think about what would the animals do if they were asked to socially distance themselves from other animals? Even though we call humans as social animals, sometimes we have choices about who we would like to hang around with. The animals cut this line and long to be in the company of others. They will be depressed more than humanity.

shyamala1234 · Mar 29, 2020

Srama said: ↑

A friend after some conversation goes, “I don’t know how you do it! I am so ready to get back to work.” I don’t like that statement at many levels, and it doesn’t help my already frayed nerves one bit! I have been listening to the news you see. But I am also in no mood to argue or even simply state my position. While I am a home body and absolutely love it, I am not much of a phone person. I have committed a couple of faux pas on messages already! I decide I cannot let these things or people define who I am, what I feel! I decide to shut everything, I mean the talks, the messages, the TV out and go for a walk.

The temperature is just right. It is cloudy, misty and there is a need for a pair of gloves and a jacket. The air is fresh, reminding me of a hill station. I can hear the birds chirping away. I clearly hear a woodpecker; the same one continuing to peck away through the summer annoying one of my neighbors, an owl's hoot and a million other chirps! As I pause and look up the trees to associate a sound with a bird, I hear the drip drip and I look down to see the rainwater with fascination making way into the ground.

I draw a couple of deep breaths in as I continue to walk with a resolve. A resolve to drown myself in the sounds and sights that are in front of me, shutting those thoughts out. As I continue the walk, I find myself enjoying the houses as if I am seeing them for the first time, noticing their character against the beauty of the morning, the fresh leaves, flowers, the quietness surrounding them, and the parked cars in the drive ways!

I stop by to take a video of a couple of squirrels chasing one another, maybe they are even fighting. I don’t know. The noises they make in the quietness, the quickness of their movements in the stillness around is amazing. Occasionally somewhere in the background, I hear a car whiz by only serving as a distraction. As I pick up the lonely wrapper in the middle of the road, I see the same runner I come across everyday while driving to work. Only, I am walking now!

I find myself smiling taking pictures as I walk, actually thinking this snippet out in my mind wondering if I can capture and convey the joy I feel in myself and my surroundings while I hear the birds making louder sounds as if to draw my attention back to them and keep it there. Little do they know that I hear them more than the thoughts in my head. I stop to pen down my thoughts in the middle of the street as cool breeze blows at my face. I smile. While I love the sun, this misty morning is something else!

As I continue my walk, I run into a couple of elderly folks. The gentleman is walking his dogs as usual. I stop to play with the dogs, inquiring about his wife chit chatting with him for a couple of minutes before I join the other elderly lady who has been walking a little ahead of me. She is dressed to a T for that early a morning. I make a mental note – certain things are a must and one of them is presenting oneself properly. She talks about her early morning run to the grocery store, enjoying the oldies music being played for the senior citizens for their time of shopping. She seems happy that finally she is enjoying shopping with her age group, enjoying what they enjoy. It makes me wonder about how preoccupied we can be, touting what we like or think, to the world not pausing to listen to others!

As I reach my house, I bid my goodbyes to her. I walk into the house to Toby right behind the door, waiting to greet me and instead of his usual jumping and licking, he goes straight into a heavy sniffing mode. I get down to his level, look him in the eye and confess, “Sorry Toby! You are right. I have been seeing other dogs behind your back”. He pauses his sniffing perhaps only because of my tone to give me a confused look and continues doing what he was doing!

I go into the kitchen to find a lone pistachio shell
View attachment 263745 sitting on the counter welcoming me with a smile, even teasing me I think - handiwork of one of my kids! How can such things not bring joy?

My phone beeps fighting for my attention, again. The word for the day flashes

View attachment 263742

I think of the message that is going around
View attachment 263743

I flash a look at the teasing pistachio shell think of my walk outside wanting to go inside, thinking of the word of the day, making me wonder…………
Click to expand...

Dear Sabita,
Oh! On seeing the title I thought it is connected with spirituality. Go inside, know thyself. But on reading it is all practically going outside and then into our home.
The natural tendency is to pine for what we do not have. When in lock in period we are not supposed to go out except for essentials I want to go out. When out of the house....though I enjoy want back to be inside the nest.
You are waiting for spring and here at Hyderabad already summer started. But there is no complaint about it this year as some say heat keeps Caronavirus away!!!! Not going to on A/C unless it becomes a must. We choose heat to virus.
Syamala

Srama · Mar 29, 2020

Right with you about planting veggies Kamala! We have had quite a bit of sun, but the wind has been crazy. So I have to wait a couple of more days before I move my plants out. But guess what, we did manage to hose down Toby on the patio! He needed a nice bath - glad to have done that!

kkrish said: ↑

Need to plant some veggies.

So looking forward to getting some sunlight.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your response!

Srama · Mar 30, 2020

Dear V sir,

That is true about a dog's sense of smell. We often find toby running from the backyard to the front door as soon he realizes someone he identifies is coming home! Well, he is enjoying the long walks and playing. Like I mentioned to Kamala, he even got hosed down and has been getting pampered. Talking of sense of humor, it is my kids my DD in particular

I have tried to always go inside even when I am outside. Some one who knows me quite well ended up calling me an "extroverted introvert". May be I am wired like that - it is always about how I react, why I react and get deeper inwards so that my reactions with the world are meaningful and understanding, of others and where they come from. It has helped me heal quite a bit.

How much ever we want to get back to normalcy, the world, our world as we know it has changed. We just have get our act together and prepare to put ourselves out there along with others who also are doing the same. The dynamics will change, that is for sure. I have been fortunate to have friends who are happy to take yoga classes online from me and preparing for that with an understanding that I cannot make adjustments physically and that I have lead them to a place of some quiet for a few minutes in a week is changing me and keeping me occupied, mentally! I am very grateful for this technology that is available.

It is amazing to watch the world outside, things are happening in nature as they are supposed to - blooming, animals coming out, fish enjoying in the pond, birds chirping building their nests - now we are forced to pause and look at them from the inside but nature continues to provide joy not seeking anything back from us!

Thank you as always for your lovely response!

Srama · Mar 30, 2020

Dear Syamala,

I like philosophy but I am not sure if I can express it. I think it has to be lived to be understood. I came across this phrase "develop a meaningful philosophy on life". I think that is very important!

shyamala1234 said: ↑

You are waiting for spring and here at Hyderabad already summer started. But there is no complaint about it this year as some say heat keeps Caronavirus away!!!! Not going to on A/C unless it becomes a must. We choose heat to virus.
Syamala
Click to expand...

Spring is in full bloom here.

You know as I watch the world from inside and through some walking, I realized that we need to be present to enjoy that beauty - all of us are worried and filled with corona news but not as much with every day problems like getting stuck in the traffic, trying to reach to work on time etc. I think our perspective on how we look at things will begin to change. I am also becoming extremely mindful of how I communicate on social media aka whatsapp and other messenger services.

We had a couple of hot days or what is considered hot for spring and enjoyed the outdoors doing yard work and playing a lot of shuttle badminton, a lot!