Taken by daughter of Angela, Claire, on the Dorset coast in the UK. Studland on isle of Purbeck to be precise.
Angela is a dear friend who is appropriately named. She is one of those souls who always has a kind word, balanced by a fabulous sense of humor, and clear and inspiring wisdom. In short, she is a human angel. Angela began collaborating with me on FOODMood in relation to actual food, as on top of everything else, she is a fantastic cook. During this time of reflection, she has taken up her pen. This is the second time we feature her prose here on FOODMood. Angela’s words are at once soft and powerful. The elegance she displays in her person, she has gracefully transmitted to her writing. A feminine voice to speak to our hearts.
Is it over, have we emerged? Not fully and now we are in limbo. We have to queue to enter a shop We wear masks & gloves and move more warily in public places We are attentive to minimise risk to ourselves and others
We have no idea when or how we can enjoy live performances again but We can look forward to going out We can eat in a restaurant but in restricted numbers We can sit in a bar with a morning coffee half way through our walk We can marvel at the glorious weather and the heady scent of jasmine We can look proudly on a neat and orderly garden
We can put appointments in our diary We can rediscover our unworn garments We can slip between the sheets thankful that someone else has ironed them We can dream with more hope of seeing loved ones We can dream with more hope of hugging loved ones
We can look forward to trips out of the area We can dare to dream of an Italian gelato We can pat ourselves on the back for trying new recipes We can revel in the new skills we have acquired We can celebrate the time we have had to read, write , sew, draw or explore whatever creative energy we found
We can attend exercise classes without leaving home We can marvel at the slower pace of life and aim to hold onto some of that We can be thankful to the friends and family whose frequent contact and shared laughter helped us through this difficult time
But most of all we can be thankful to be alive.
by Angela Lanza