Rediscovering Curiosity in Lockdown Life
All images by Lewis and Jessica Townsend
I’ve lived in this same spot in the Lincolnshire Wolds for over half my life, and I’ve KNOWN it is beautiful, sometimes I’ve even looked at it or walked amongst it. But somehow it has taken the enforcement of lockdown to reignite my curiosity and actually appreciate all that is on my doorstep.
With a dog for the last 5 years a daily walk is nothing new, but it had become a time where I would walk through fields upon fields and still my mind would be elsewhere - working or planning. With my husband in tow now he is home too, I find we are looking up, looking around, and seeking to find those little changes in nature happening every day.
Have the swallows arrived? Was that a swift? What blossom is that? What smell is that? Can you hear the sound of the bird that always calls to us from the third tree on the left?
We have become more inquisitive because, for the foreseeable at least, there is nothing beyond this stretch of fields, this little wood, and that tiny stream. Instead of feeling confined and disappointed we cannot explore further, we are instead compelled to explore deeper, and finding it all the richer for looking.
The joy of doing this together has become a silver lining of this time too. Whether it is our walk beneath ever-changing skies, a few hours tinkering in the garden, or moments spent in companionable silence as we eat our evening meal, the fact that we are actually together all day has made us take notice of each other more too.
There is so much sadness and anxiety surrounding us right now, but that does not mean we cannot look for and enjoy what unexpected happiness we can. The one constant in life is that everything must change, and soon our lives may begin to follow our old routines once more. But this time has taught me that I want to enjoy these quiet moments of curiosity every day. When life inevitably moves on, I am determined to take that with me too.
