Just before the shut down I paddled on the local lake. The common gulls were drawn inland by food and shelter. The cormorants have returned to their coastal feeding. Birds know by instinct where to search for food, water, companions, a nesting site. They indicate the seasons, the weather patterns, the changes in our planet. They draw us inwards to another world of reflection, melodies, songs and raucous clammer. Spring is sweeping over the country bringing hope, warmth, bees, butterflies and countless more insects. Our needs are simpler than we think. This virus gives us time to reflect on our assumptions: that food supplies are guaranteed, that work is always there, that our freedom to roam is a basic right. What do we really need as human beings more than food, water, shelter and warmth? Perhaps companionship, meaning, a sense of worth, to love and to be loved, someone or something greater than ourselves to admire, a sense of achievement?
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