Would you fancy being away from it all at the moment? The daily freedom to carry out your work, but not be a part of the hullabaloo that is around?
This was sent to me last week and may be someone is suggesting something!!!
There is a real sense that to escape away somewhere is to be free from worries, the pandemic, employment concerns, financial worries or indeed black/white issues. To be free from worries seems tempting, though we know in reality it would not be a real escape from any concerns. A nice trip out in the car (within five miles of course!) or a different walk in the countryside, also offer a temporary escape from our four walls. Equally, there are so many people who are afraid to go out and their four walls is their complete sanctuary and sanity. Last week, David was told that despite shielding having been slightly lifted, the doctor would prefer him still to stay put, at least for the time being. While he feels safe here, he does want to get out and see people and do things, to escape his sanctuary..
A wonderful piece of art, an evocative piece of music or even simple home cooked food, "just as Mother made", takes us to our safe place. Words that are so familiar these days,
"I am safe here in my home."
There is a real fear about leaving home; it is palpable and can be felt. Nothing is as it was and that is quite frightening. I know some folk who follow the blog, like the positivity of the blog as it makes them feel safe and an escape from the horrendous things "out there." We like and need to dwell on that which is positive". The marches on the weekend for "Black lives Matter" were well supported for various reasons, despite pleads to not attend because of Coronavirus. People needed to get out and focus on something other than the damage of Covid-19. They went ahead, and were not overtly frightened by the risks.
In talking about the opening of our churches there are very many issues to be faced, including how it will happen, taking the advice from the Diocese and how safe will they be in churches. Even this, which could allow us back into the very places which mean so much to us or have sustained us in difficult times, suddenly opens up, is it a step too far to enter them? Is it something which we need to compromise? How can the House of God suddenly almost make us frightened to come in and pray, when we have been sustained there for so many years?
Escapism is an avenue, something we have all been down at some point or other over the last twelve weeks. We want things to be normal, we need to know we are safe, we can be fearful of this horrific virus, we take comfort from what we see and experience in our Church year, in our discussions with others, in our first tentative steps into this very different outside. It is not just the virus changing the familiar, but we too have changed as we have attempted to come to terms with things and have been challenged in our faith and in our lives.
So how many of you fancy that job? How many of you would rather be where you are? We move forward in faith, sustained by the unchangeable God who offers to us comfort and strength, as we move through this first wave of the pandemic.