There is no avoiding that we are currently in dark times. The news is invariably alarming and it is not unreasonable to believe that it is not going to get better for several weeks. Everything suddenly feels uncertain and generally quite hard. I have concerns for my loved ones: my family, friends and yes, myself but I know that I just have to keep on keeping on. So a small act of kindness when I least expected it was a very lovely thing.
I was going to my local Hardy Plant Society meeting and as usual I car-share with The Cynical Gardener. We take it in turns to drive and this works very well. These days I usually make a flask of tea so that we can have a cuppa when we arrive in the full knowledge that there is tea and biscuits at the end of the evening. After a long day at work and the 20 mile drive to the meeting, I need tea when I get there. The day of the March meeting arrived and as arranged it was CG's turn to drive. On arrival, whilst I was faffing about even more than usual, CG nipped past me and popped a pot of Scilla siberica onto my front door step. CG explained that she had been at a local garden centre earlier to buy compost and had seen these. She had thought them so cheerful she bought a pot for herself and one for me as she (correctly) surmised I had had a long week and would be in need of cheer.
This small act of kindness had a massive impact. The bright blue cheeriness of these flowers make them the perfect gift. Yet the gift itself is not the main thing, the main thing is the thought behind it. I am so grateful for this small pot of happiness and I am smiling as I write this as I will smile whenever I look at them.
So in these dark days we all need acts of kindness. We need to keep in mind that everyone is under pressure. The pressures we are under may be very different, we may not understand each others' particular pressures or what is uppermost in our minds to focus on, but that is not the point. We need to be kind to each other and take care of each other. Be kind to others and yourself, stay well.
