On April 1 today there were no pranks or foolery, which is probably better that way. Now that we’re in week three of shelter in place, it seems we’ve acclimated to a routine that’s more or less this:
| Martin | Thao |
|---|---|
| Rise Coffee, Work Breakfast, Coffee Work Coffee, Work Lunch, Coffee Work Work Work Outdoor: Jog, bike or have a drink, usually latter | Rise Tea, Yoga/Exercise/Meditation Breakfast, Coffee Procrastinate by checking news Coffee, Write Lunch, Coffee Ignore to-do list Write/Ignore to-do list some more Procrastinate or practice piano Outdoor: Jog or sit out back for sunlight (vitamin D), usually latter |
I called up a friend in Switzerland that I had not talked to in a while. It was nice to catch up and also compare notes on the situation there and here. She asked me something that I have been thinking about since.
The question was how do I feel about being in America at this time of crisis versus being in Switzerland. The question was in essence about where I feel at home. Good question. I don’t know that I have an answer for this right now.
In a way I have been thinking a lot about home. Specifically, I have been thinking about our life here now and our life in Switzerland. Most of the time on most days, I am very much in the present. But sometimes something will occur or remind me of our life in Switzerland, and often I am almost taken aback. The surprise I feel when I remember has given me a lot to think about.
Until these thoughts find form that is articulate and presentable, if at all, Ibsen‘s Peer Gynt is a great story to contemplate home and the journey.
If you’re not up for reading, then listen to the amazing Maria João Pires at the piano with Daniel Harding, playing Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No.1 Morgenstimmung/Morning Mood, and let it put you in a good mood no matter where you are in your day. Have a good one!
It is a good question to contemplate .. where is home? Having lived in three significant places that I refer to as home, I use the word with different meanings and associations.
Staying home these past three weeks has made me grateful for the life we created here in Switzerland. In some ways, we are in a bubble of breath taking beauty, of order and therefore peace of mind. Each afternoon I am able exercise outdoors, whether on bike or by foot, I take in our surroundings and breathe .. this is my home. When I open the front door upon my return, it feels right. I am home.