Heroes Not Zombies

I took this photo seven years ago. At the time my daughter and her family were living in an apartment on the waterfront along from Leith. There was a whole development of towers of apartments in that area and, obviously, plans to build a whole lot more. But the market collapsed and the other buildings were never constructed. Seven years on, I’m pretty sure nothing much has changed there.

At the time I thought this was a pretty powerful image of unfulfilled plans. The developers created this junction in the road, and even painted the give way marks on the road for anyone arriving here from the road which hadn’t been laid yet. They must have been pretty confident the rest of the development was going ahead, but it didn’t.

Here we all are in the midst of this pandemic and what’s happened to our well laid plans for 2020? I had a couple of visits to family and friends booked, and we had arrangements in place for some friends to visit us here. All of that has been cancelled.

What plans did you have for 2020 which you’ve had to cancel?

I’m sure we’ll all be sharing feelings of disappointment and frustration because of our cancelled plans. But in the big scheme of things, for me, at least, it could have been worse!

What can we do when plans get cancelled?

Accept and adapt. There’s no point raging against the universe, the virus, the government, the airline, or whatever. This is just how things are. I can’t change any of that.

What I can do is adapt.

That’s not just a matter of making new plans to replace the old, cancelled ones though, because we are still in the midst of heightened uncertainty. Nobody knows how long this is going to last or what the “new normal” will look like the other side. So, it doesn’t feel like a time for making detailed new plans.

Here are some of the ways I’ve been adapting. Firstly, savouring the day. I am noticing more, delighting in small every day experiences, relishing small pleasures. Secondly, I’m creating more. In particular, I’m writing a lot. I’m enjoying that. Thirdly, I’m not making detailed plans for the future but I’m actively engaged in reflecting on what’s important to me and how I might like to live in the immediate few years ahead.

As restrictions ease, and the “new normal” emerges, I hope I’ll be better placed to live a life filled with enhanced daily wonders and delights, a healthy flow of creativity, and the ability to make and prioritise good, achievable plans based on my own personal values.

Here’s where the title of this post came from………..

From – To a Mouse, by Robert Burns

But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
          Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
          For promis’d joy!

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But Och! I backward cast my e’e,
          On prospects drear!
An’ forward tho’ I canna see,
          I guess an’ fear!