Life

He opened life without a thought ripping at the packaging. It was only when he wanted to return it he realised he had damaged the seal. It was too late now, this was his life and he was going to have to fit into it somehow.

He stared at his hands and the blood that was seeping from cuts to his fingers. He rose slowly and walked towards the sink. He used the hand that was bleeding the least to turn on the taps and then let the water wash the red into the sink. Trails of watery blood turned spirals around the plughole before disappearing. When the water ran clear he removed his hands and tore sheets of paper towels to bind his fingers.

He turned and stared at the seal whose sad eyes told him all he needed to know

Sunday in the Park without George

Things noticed on our prescribed exercise:

We thought we had begun to understand the hierarchy of the pavement. Simple pedestrians at the bottom, then people on scooters, then joggers. These can be re-ordered depending on whom has headphones in. Today we noticed a new strata - people Nordic Walking. This genus of pedestrian trump all others and everyone has to negotiate around these stick insects of the human race.

Life would be simpler if the pavements on one side of the road were for walking in one direction and the opposite side the other. Some people remain courteous when navigating around each other; smiles and ‘thank yous’ some are selfishly oblivious to you putting yourself in the middle of the road as they assume their automatic right of way.

We must never, ever, underestimate the importance of open space and green space. Recent years and pressure of development has meant this ‘key worker’ in our health and wellbeing has been undervalued in our physical and mental health needs. We must fight to retain both the spaces and access to them when we emerge. It’s too easy to lose them and almost impossible to get them back. In the green spaces we walked through today people were observing both distance and the requirement to keep moving through.