I write this on 13th August, I say this in case the world looks very different when you read this. As I write we seem to be returning, if not to ‘normal’, an imprecise word if ever there was one, but to something that is at least a fuller life, with more possibilities. But much has been lost, and it seems hard to re-energise oneself and others. We are all older, and a little more weary perhaps, and I, for one, am waiting for a return of some energy.
The pandemic is over, but it is not over. Regulations have gone, but the warnings persist. There is a threat hovering darkly in the background of a vaccine-defeating mutation and a new ‘lockdown’. And all the while the ravages of a changing climate damage the world as we have known it for the lifetime of our species. A change human beings have caused and appear to be powerless to stop making even worse. Wherever you look there seems little to lighten the spirits. Where is the hope, where is light in this bleakness?
I bet you think I’m going to say ‘Jesus’ or ‘God’, or suggest you all go to church. Well, I’m not. What I will say is that if you feel as I do, then the recovery of energy and a positive attitude to life has to begin with an effort of will.
The recovery of what we had, the things we enjoyed doing, the pattern of life we had chosen, is down to us. Down to a refusal to accept a lesser life. Once a great engine has stopped it takes a huge mechanical effort to turn the first revolution of the flywheel to get it turning again and regain its momentum. If you fall over, getting up takes some effort, but lying on the pavement is not an option.
So – if we have been vaccinated twice, and other things remaining equal – let us return to old ways, old meetings, old events, let’s do that coffee morning, go to that match, see that play, have that meal out, go for that drink, run that fete, attend that fair, go into that office, and yes, even go back to that church, with renewed focus on the fact that what matters in life are the experiences we have, the relationships we make, and the things that make life joyous. And we won’t get on with those while we are sitting on the metaphorical pavement.
Services continue at 11am every Sunday and we plan for the 2nd Saturday lunch to be back up and running in October. For details of events across the benefice, including the Ride and Stride walk, the Harvest Supper, the Autumn Fair and the Quiz Night please go to the new and improved www.chobenefice.co.uk.
William