An eternal birthday.

My goodness, August is upon us and July went down the drain quicker than expected, but then so has this strangest of strange years - gone in a Corona-blob. Some have hated it, others have coped, many loved this pause from normal life. And today they are saying people over 50 ought to slip back into a semi-lockdown, leaving the young to thrive or die I suppose? Heard immunity rising its head again?

Our lives will be defined by how we each adapt to this strange world of social, economic and personal change, a place where summer festivals and ancient gatherings as well as outings to our favourite venues have stopped world-wide. As ever, the choice is ours, miss what’s missing or make the most of what is. Some people are able to adapt easily and perhaps it’s because they don’t live with rigid routine, don’t define themselves by a stiff set of codes, but watch life and bend with the breeze.

Bending can be taken as weakness, but the flexible bamboo withstands a tempest better than the sturdy old oak, not that I prefer either, they are both extraordinary. Bending comes from seeing the world as an interesting place, a university in which each day is the start of your life rather than the culmination of years of treading the various roads which brought us here. With today as our birthday, ahead lies something new, things are never boring.

Waffle, I’m sure some will say, but lived, it provides a flexibility which enhances each hour, making life worth living. Add in empathy, a sensitivity to the lives of others, be it the buzzing bumblebee over there or your bumbling neighbour, and things just get better. This approach to existence was the inspiration for my well received little book, ‘Joyful Walking’, which is filled with ways to generate magic from every situation.

Enough of tapping the keyboard. There is work to be done on this house and despite it being Sunday and the perfect English summer’s day, not too hot, not a hint of chill, I will pick up my saw and trim two doors with the quiet joy which comes with total attention on this day when The Vatican has asked Catholics not to invest in fossil fuels . Another reason to be delighted.