So, we're allowed to shop for food during this three-day Brisbane lockdown, but nevertheless all the supermarkets had lines outside the doors, and the shelves in the local supermarket were all but cleared. No need to worry. I might have to go a bit easy on the toilet paper, but I have absolutely everything I need. I stopped to browse at the cheese specials, noticing that specials were in short supply. A friendly older man made a joke that some people must be expecting a 6-month lockdown, judging by the way they had piled up their trolleys. He reached for some cheese on the shelf, telling me that it was $100 per kilo. He said that he couldn't resist trying it, and that it was so good that he had come back for more. He was delighted to discover that the piece he had picked up was marked down to $15. I said that I would have to try it when the budget was healthier, and he laughed and said that he didn't have a budget because he didn't care any more. I love it!
My 40th birthday is happening this year, and I have every intention of celebrating every day of the entire year - It's one of those four things on my vision board. I prefer to avoid the news and just glance at the headlines to stay informed, so I didn't see this lockdown coming. I was planning to work on projects at home today, but when I realized that I had three days to do nothing but that, I decided to go out. I walked around in the rain celebrating that this was the first cool day we've had since I've been here. It was so refreshing and delicious! I stopped for a coffee and a little chocolate with Champagne cream at a place I hadn't been to, and read a motivational book about 'dreaming big'. I celebrated by being grateful that I have a very spacious, fully furnished unit with a balcony, air conditioning, a bath, a TV and a fridge full of food that I love. I celebrated that I have a puzzle that I haven't done yet, plenty of projects, unlimited Wi-Fi, Kindle Unlimited, a keyboard and two books of soprano arias to work on if I feel like it. I celebrated that my imagination and creativity ensures that being bored is an unlikely outcome of whatever might be happening in the world.
I understand that most people are not going to be onboard with throwing caution to the wind, and I'm not suggesting that they should be. I do believe, however, that the more grateful we are, the more we will be given to be grateful for. This is the secret behind many abundant people out there. So, the more that we celebrate life, the more things we will find that we have to celebrate. In my family, we always say that it's the first day of the rest of our lives. It could be the first or it could be the last. It could be the last day of life as we know it and the beginning of a great adventure. I decided to celebrate the day by buying a little bottle of sparkling wine and a bunch of pink roses to enjoy during the lockdown, but celebrating doesn't have to cost anything. Rather, it will give us something, a boost of energy and the enthusiasm that we need to go on with.
Rather than saying that we want our lives and the world to go back to how they were before, why not celebrate that this pandemic and all its fallout is paving the way for a better world, one that we have wished for all our lives. People are making stronger connections with one another, they are being more innovative, the world of work is becoming more flexible, the environment is resting and healing, and people are resting, healing, and reassessing their priorities and dreams. Positive change is happening all around us, and I want to celebrate this year all the more because I can see this so clearly. This world is under construction and there will be a lot of fear, so if we can be a little patient, be generous where we can, love life and each other, and smile at the people we pass who are struggling, we can be part of creating this blossoming, new world.
Let's be like the man who bought the cheese, not the one who took the last roll of toilet paper when he already had enough at home.
Let's celebrate!
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