What has struck me, particularly in the last few days, is the sense of peace that has descended upon West London. A calmness that is almost eerie, but not unpleasantly so. My working morning “getting to work” has transformed from dragging myself out of the house, walking to the subway, a 35 minute journey in a crushed subway carriage before a 15 minute rush through central London to get to the office, to literally rolling over in bed and switching the computer on.
In between working from home and attending remote meetings, I walk in my back garden (which I am very fortunate to have access to), and check on the little trees that I have planted. And sometimes in breaks from work I get to do some writing. Like on this blog!
But back to that sense of peace. I stepped out briefly to collect a pizza the other evening and as I went past houses I could hear families playing together. Aside from these sounds, and sounds of birdsong, nothing could be heard. No traffic, no aeroplanes, nothing. It was a warm spring evening, and it was, maybe, like being in a quiet village near the Mediterranean. It made me wonder what things will be like when “normal” is a thing again. Back to the hustle and bustle? The car fumes? The noise pollution? Maybe.
But sometimes, in this pause, in this quiet and calm, it’s not so bad to stop and reflect.
